Lincoln County hosted the U.S. Naval Third Fleet, the Oregon Military Department and the Washington Military Department for a Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) training demonstration, July 31, 2017, at Yaquina Bay – South Beach Marina, in Newport, Oregon. The U.S. Third Fleet, on their way to the Seattle Seafair on August 3rd, stopped outside of Yaquina Bay (Newport, Oregon) and deployed an amphibious landing craft unit (LCU) to navigate into Yaquina Bay and conduct a landing at the South Beach Marina. A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat from the U.S. Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay assisted the landing craft with navigating the bay. The LCU practiced off-loading engineering equipment and reloading emergency vehicles from the City of Newport, Oregon Military Department and the Washington Military Department. The Washington Military Department resources and personnel are traveling onboard the USS Anchorage (LPD-23) to Washington to complete the exercise on August 1st, at the Westport Marina in Grays Harbor, Wash. The joint training demonstration simulated local city government requesting equipment to remove debris and clear roads following a disaster. Amateur radio was used to relay the request to Lincoln County and then to the state level through the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. The Oregon National Guard and U.S. Naval Third Fleet simulated providing the needed engineering equipment via maritime transportation. Lincoln County and the Washington National Guard also rehearsed loading their equipment onto the landing craft to simulate moving needed assets throughout multiple disaster locations. The scenario was inspired by the after action review process following the Cascadia Rising multi-state exercise conducted last year, June 2016. The exercise identified the need to simulate domestic response efforts across all levels of governmental agencies. The demonstration showcased capabilities at all levels of government to order, distribute and receive emergency resources along the Oregon and Washington coastline during a catastrophic disaster response. Coordinating partners participating in the training demonstration included: * United States Department of the Navy, Pacific Third Fleet; * Oregon Military Department/Oregon National Guard; * Washington Military Department/Washington National Guard; * Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office; * United States Coast Guard, Station Yaquina Bay; * Port of Newport; * City of Newport.
