Part 5—Create an Evacuation Map for Seaside Schools

Step 1 – Locate Possible Evacuation Routes for Seaside Schools

Now that you have investigated tsunami run-up potential and located the town of Seaside, Oregon, you will use your skills to plan an evacuation route for two schools located in the town of Seaside. All schools in coastal Oregon must have evacuation plans in place. What would you recommend to the school administrators in this town? How would you plan for your own family?

1. If necessary, re-launch My World and open the project file that you saved in Part 4. The map loads with the layers and selections, shown below.
   
   
   
   
2. Turn on the Oregon Populated Places layer.
3. Turn on and make active the Oregon Highways layer and locate the nearest highway to Seaside. Use the Get Information tool to learn its name. In the event of a 15-meter tsunami, which direction should you travel on this highway—if the highway is open after an earthquake?
   Show me which highway
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   1. Click on the highway nearest to Seaside with the Get Information tool.
      
      
   2. An Information for Layer window will open. In it you will see the nearest highway is named "Oregon Coast" and is highway "009". To evacuate, you would want to travel South and then East on the "Sunset" highway.
      
      
4. Add the Seaside Topographic map and Seaside Aerial photograph. Use the Projection drop-down menu, located at the bottom of the map window, to change the projection of the map to Match Seaside Topo. When this change is complete, your map will look blank. Just make the Seaside Topographic layer active and then use the Zoom to the Extent of the Active layer button to zoom into Seaside.
   Show me how to change the projection
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   Use the Projection drop-down menu, located at the bottom of the map window, to change the projection of the map to Match Seaside Topo. The default projection is "Miller Cylindrical" if you want to switch back for other work.
   
   
   These two layers show other features such as smaller roads, trails and schools. Locate old "Central School" on the topographic map. Turn the topographic map layer off when you are done with it.
   
5. Next, turn on the Seaside Schools layer and zoom to the extent of the layer. Use the Get Information tool to locate and identify the Broadway Middle School and Seaside High School (both are near in central Seaside). You can also change the legend of the layer to Color by "name".
   Show me the aerial
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   Seaside schools are shown on top of this aerial in pink and orange. Click on the image for a larger view.
   
   
   Show me how to edit the layer's appearance
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   To change the legend of the layer, double click on the layer's name in the Layer List and then choose color by name and select "random" as the colorscheme.
6. Finally, turn on the Tsunami Inundation Area layer to visualize the area that you would need to evacuate in the event of a tsunami.
   

Step 2 – Map Evacuation Routes and Create an Evacuation Plan to Share

To conclude this activity, you will use the maps, aerial image, and other layers, as well as your GIS skills, to create an evacuation route map for the students in these two schools. Assume that you will be evacuating on foot. Where will you take the students in the event of a tsunami predicted to be 15 meters in height? Write up a plan to share with your classmates or local authorities.

When designing your plan, consider the following:

• What obstacles will find in your route (i.e., are there rivers to cross)?
• How far can you walk in 20 minutes?
• Where will you gather the students?

Make notes in a word-processing document or on a separate piece of paper. If possible, include a screen shot or JPG image of your map. When you have completed your investigation, compare your map for Seaside to an actual evacuation map for nearby Cannon Beach, linked here: Cannon Beach Evacuation Map (Acrobat (PDF) 1.5MB Nov13 10)(in PDF)