A new GAO report says about 3,000 personnel stationed along the outer coasts of Washington and Oregon face a high risk.
“They’re first responders in the community, but in the case of a tsunami, they could become the victims,” said Heather MacLeod, acting director for Homeland Security & Justice Issues at GAO.The GAO found that the Coast Guard requires evacuation plans but doesn’t ensure anyone follows through, and the existing plans aren’t practiced.“We’re actively working on it,” said Lt. Stephen Nolan of the U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle.
“What the Coast Guard does, and we do well, is we surge assets from outside that area to be able to respond to natural disasters,” Nolan said. Although scientists increasingly say there is a tsunami risk in Puget Sound, the audit focused on higher-risk areas on the outer coast where warning times are expected to be shorter.
GAO officials said the Coast Guard has agreed to implement its recommendations to develop evacuation plans, provide guidance, and exercise them in three to four years.
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