Clallam County’s CSZ Emergency Plan calls for the Joyce community to establish a “rally point” for the Joyce micro-island on HWY 112 between the Crescent School and CCFD#4 Station Number 1. The “rally point” will become the emergency center for the community. It will include a Disaster Service Center, an Emergency Operations Center, “the fire, emergency and law enforcement center”, an emergency shelter, a Community Point of Distribution (CPOD) and a helicopter landing zone.
JEPP has been making preparations to establish a single emergency shelter on HWY 112 in Joyce, in a building expected to suffer minimal damage, and located between Crescent School and the CCFD#4 fire station. The Joyce Bible Church has offered the use of its facility and plans for its use are underway. The shelter will be opened only if (1) the community is isolated from Port Angeles by the collapse of the Elwha River bridges, or (2) damage to Port Angeles is so severe that evacuation to/and supply from the city is not feasible. The primary shelter includes a Disaster Assistance Center, the primary shelter and the Command Area 3 Area Command Center.
Assumptions
The CSZE will damage all structures on the micro-island. Temporary shelter will be necessary for some victims until they can be relocated to their repaired shelter-in-place locations or evacuated.
The CSZE will severely damage all roadways and bridges on the micro-island making communication extremely difficult. Evacuation by boat or helicopter may not be possible for one week.
Responsibility for CARE and SHELTER on the micro-island after the CSZE belongs to the JEPP. However, the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, along with other CBOs and volunteer organizations, may assist the JCO as partners in delivering these services.
After the CSZE, the American Red Cross will require a national mobilization of resources from outside the Pacific Northwest. Therefore, it will be upwards of 3 to 4 weeks before the Red Cross can assist the JEPP and the Joyce community.
In accordance with the County Emergency Management Plan, additional resources and assistance from outside the micro-island will be requested through radio communications, but expect resources to be extremely limited during the four weeks following the CSZE.
During the immediate days after the CSZE, Community Based Organizations and local congregations may emerge to provide CARE and SHELTER support independent of the JEPP. Every effort will be made to coordinate with these groups, but the JEPP shelter will likely be central to all efforts.
Some displaced residents making their way to central Joyce may converge on open spaces, as an alternative to using the JEPP shelter.
Many residents who suffer some structural damage to their home following the CSZE will choose to remain on their property (i.e., camp-out), versus going to the above mentioned disaster shelter. We recognize that these people may have needs and expectations for disaster assistance, some of which may be addressed by the DSC.
Agencies that provide social services and serve vulnerable populations will be unable to reach the Joyce micro-island after the CSZE.
A CSZE that occurs while school is in session will require the school to become a temporary shelter for its student population until predesignated adults can pick up all of the students. Crescent School must prepare to shelter students in modular classrooms in case the gym and main building are too damaged to occupy safely.
Public and private services (normally considered essential) will be extremely limited, and possibly not available during shelter and mass care operations. The CSZE will require a large-scale shelter operation throughout the Pacific Northwest. Normal activities at shelter sites will be curtailed until the emergency is resolved.
Given the above, JEPP is focused on the survival of the people of Joyce. All other considerations are secondary until that mission is accomplished.
Joyce "Rally Point"
JEPP has been making preparations to establish a single emergency shelter on HWY 112 in Joyce, in a building expected to suffer minimal damage, and located between Crescent School and the CCFD#4 fire station. The Joyce Bible Church has offered the use of its facility and plans for its use are underway. The shelter will be opened only if (1) the community is isolated from Port Angeles by the collapse of the Elwha River bridges, or (2) damage to Port Angeles is so severe that evacuation to/and supply from the city is not feasible. The primary shelter will include a Disaster Assistance Center, shelter facilities, and the Area 3 Area Command Center.
Care and Shelter Plan
JEPP is in the process of creating a document intended to provide instructions for the staffing, preparation and operation of the emergency shelter and rally point in Joyce. Each section of the draft introduces a different planning element. Personnel on hand following the CSZE can treat the guide as a reference manual and choose from the sections that are applicable to their needs. A related document is a six-page CARE and SHELTER Planning Template designed as an accompaniment to this guide. The CARE and SHELTER Planning Template lists 20 of the more important action steps needed to plan for CARE and SHELTER operations. Where appropriate the CARE and SHELTER Planning Template identifies where to go within this larger planning guide for further information. As with other plans, JEPP is consulting experts and continually upgrading its work. JEPP believes, once the shelter is open, the best resource for specifics on managing the shelter is the American Red Cross Shelter Operations Workbook.
Disaster Service Center
The Disaster Service Center (DSC) will be the community “help desk.” It is intended to be the first place people on the micro-island go to get assistance after the CSZE. Its purpose is to prevent individuals with non-shelter problems from jamming the shelter registration desk and interfering with shelter operations. People clearly in need of assistance will be referred to the shelter office by the DSC (those with medical issues and those unable to shelter in place). People with non-shelter related issues will be assisted at the DSC. A Red Cross shelter management course was held at the church in 2016 and another will be held in the spring of 2018. Contact jepp.group@gmail.com if you would like to participate.
JEPP has been working with the Joyce Bible Church to retrofit and upgrade elements of the facility. Safety film is being applied to all windows in the gym, fellowship hall, and in both the old and new sanctuaries. Other improvements are planned for the electrical and heating systems. Much of the cost for these improvements has been covered by a grant from the Ben B. Cheney foundation. The photos below show volunteers applying the safety film and trenching from the gym to the JEPP Conex for an electrical connection.
Members of the JEPP team spent a great deal of time researching and imagining what would be required to manage and operate the Emergency Shelter in a crisis. Each room in the church/gymnasium complex was designated for a specific purpose, each to be overseen by volunteer managers provided with instructions and necessary resources. A number of kits were assembled in plastic totes, providing Shelter staff with identifying colored helmets and labeled vests, other PPE, and a large quantity of materials required to undertake station-by-station tasks. The totes were then labeled and stored in the JEPP cache located behind the complex.
