Evacuation Plans

As of now, evacuation for Orting consists of driving & walking to higher ground following the beginning of the town sirens.  North & South halves the town will evacuate to different areas and along different routes.  Receiving areas for the two groups are Frontier County Park, in Graham and the South Hill Mall.  The two zones are divided by Calistoga Ave.  Zone 3, the Northern half, will follow SR 162 out of town.  Zone 3A (Southern) will turn on Calistoga and follow evacuation signs posted.  See the current evacuation route below.

Rex Kerbs, the principal of Ptarmigan Ridge Intermediate School, has a different plan than the City of Orting for the evacuation of his students.  He plans to have them walk from their school up Calistoga Ave, continuing straight when evacuation signs say to turn.  This route leads them to a steep slope which is a dead end, but which quickly leads the children away from the valley floor.

From a 2001 article in Plate Tectonics, the evacuation route made by Kerbs and his students is described. "They walked more than two miles to safety, to the Orting Soldiers Home at the base of a hill. Ten disabled students rode in vehicles.  The first walking students reached the area at 10:36 a.m., the last at 10:47 a.m. In a real emergency, the students would climb at least 50 feet up the hill to escape the lahar."

Pictured at left is the hill the students would then climb.  

This route is obviously unavailable to cars, but makes a very safe and quick way for students to escape lahar danger.  The students are able to reach high ground in under 45 minutes during drills.  Kerbs believes that in the case of a real evacuation this could be even quicker, if students were running.  Kerbs believes that his evacuation route will be safe and effective, and is the best possibility for his pupils. 

Town members believe that traffic will quickly become gridlocked in the case of a real lahar, and walking is by far a safer option.

Evacuating is important to practice!  Know the route your family will take, and have plans if you are all in different places, like work or school.  Where will you meet?  Also have an out-of-state contact who knows about the situation and will keep track of you in the case of an emergency.

The Evacuation Route Map for the City of Orting as presented by their website.  The website also explains the rules and regulations of evacuation, including obeying the posted speed limit.

From City of Orting website. 

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