seagrant.oregonstate.edu/quests 231 Oregon Coast Quest Book, 2023-24
Bandon Tsunami
Quest
Established: January 2017 by Bandon High School student Donnegal
Gordon
Box Monitor: Trent Haield, Bandon High School
Driving Direcons: From NORTH: Head south on US-101 to Bandon.
Turn right on Delaware Ave. SE and then le onto 1st Street SE. Just past
Alabama Avenue, park at Weber’s Pier on the right.
From SOUTH: Head north on US-101 to Bandon. Turn le onto Oregon
Ave. SE, and then right onto 1st Street SE. Weber’s Pier and parking are on
your immediate le.
Tsunamis are dangerous and can be deadly, if you don’t know what to do
when one occurs. A tsunami is likely to occur aer an earthquake o the
Oregon coast, because the shaking of the earth creates a wave oshore
that will travel toward land and ood low-lying areas. If you feel an earth-
quake in Bandon, you can expect a tsunami wave to arrive very soon.
This Quest will help you walk an evacuaon route that will show you how
to get to the safety of higher ground. The route is a half-mile uphill walk on
pavement and across a grassy school eld. Be careful and watch for cars.
Let’s begin!
FIRST…
Begin your Quest at Weber’s Pier.
Walk over to the sign that says
“Weber’s Pier.” This would not be a
tsunami safe zone if one occurs. It is
important to be aware of safe zones
and evacuation routes when you are
on the Oregon coast.
Take the sixth letter from the rst word
on the sign, and write it in square #4 of
your mystery word.
Oregon Coast Quest Book, 2023-24 232 seagrant.oregonstate.edu/quests
Use this map to help you solve the Quest. Follow the direcons and
collect the leer clues to ll the numbered squares on the last page
of this Quest. The message you complete will help you nd the hidden
Quest box.
Quest Partners
Bandon School District
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NEXT…
To the south there is a church bell on
the top of the hill, and to the west there
is a lighthouse. Look to the southwest
and walk toward a giant sculpture of
a rocksh made from marine debris.
Near the sh, nd three boulders and
a sign.
This sign is a Tsunami Evacuation
Map. The green places on the map
are the safe, high ground areas. The
orange and yellow places on the map
are not safe during a tsunami, because
those areas could get ooded. Find
your position on the map. What color is
this area on the map?
If you feel the ground shaking, that
means a tsunami wave will be coming
soon. When an earthquake occurs, the
rst thing to do is to duck, cover, and
hold, being sure to protect your head
and neck from injury.
Do not stand under a doorway for
cover if there is an earthquake. Get
under a sturdy table or just stay clear
of anything that might fall if you have
nothing to get under.
If you are outside when an earthquake
occurs, stay away from anything that
could fall and just get down low where
you are being sure to protect your
head and neck.
Once the shaking stops, you will have
only about ten minutes before the
tsunami comes. So as soon as the
shaking stops, immediately evacuate
to high ground. Look at the sign and
take the rst letter from the rst word
at the top and put it in square #2 of
your mystery word.
Oregon Coast Quest Book, 2023-24 234 seagrant.oregonstate.edu/quests
The Cascadia fault lies just off the
Oregon coast. It is a boundary
between two tectonic plates. The
ocean plate is moving under the
continental plate, which can result in
powerful earthquakes.
NEXT…
Now continue southwest to the round
evacuation sign located on the corner
across the street.
Stay here and look up the hill while
you read the next set of instructions.
In an earthquake, landslides can also
occur and can damage roads and
block routes. Landslides happen when
the pull of gravity is greater than the
sediment can take and the grains
that are compacted together loosen,
causing the ground to just slide down.
Look at the land next to the route that
leads uphill. Do you think landslides
could occur on these hills? How could
a landslide affect your evacuation
plans?
Walking up this street would be the
most direct way to get to high ground.
But during a practice evacuation (when
there is no actual emergency), there
could be cars on this road! So let’s
look for another way to get to high
ground.
Walk east back toward town and turn
right on Alabama Ave. Continue to
the Masonic Temple building. Look to
your right and see a red lamppost next
to a path. Follow this path uphill to a
parking lot.
Once up the hill, while standing on the
sidewalk, can you spy a white arrow
painted on the street in front of the
inn? Which way is it pointing?
Take the fth letter from the rst word
on the arrow on the ground and write it
in square #7 of the mystery word.
NEXT…
Keep walking south up the hill until
you see the sign for Third Street. Stop
by the sign. Even though you are on
higher ground, you aren’t safe yet.
Once you are evacuating, things you
want to avoid are downed power lines,
structures, and things that could fall
on you.
Take the third letter from the rst word
on the Street Sign and insert in square
#3 of your mystery word.
seagrant.oregonstate.edu/quests 235 Oregon Coast Quest Book, 2023-24
NEXT…
Walk south until you’re next to two
brick walls and stop.
Another thing to be aware of is
liquefaction. This occurs when the
earthquake reduces the strength
of the soil and basically turns it into
quicksand. If liquefaction occurs near
or under walls like these, the walls can
be severely damaged, sink, or even
fall over due to instability.
Continue south and stop when you
see a row of Monterey cypress trees
extending perpendicular back from the
east side of the road.
Take the last letter
of the California city
after which these
trees are named and
write it in square #11
of the mystery word.
When a tsunami
occurs there will
possibly be trees
and fallen objects
blocking your
evacuation route, so
it’s a good idea to
have a backup route.
However, since you
won’t have much
time to get to safety,
it’s important to
remain calm, pay attention, move
quickly, and cooperate with the people
around you in order to most efciently
use your time, thereby raising your
chances of survival.
Turn west on Eighth Street and walk
until you get to the school zone sign.
Insert the fourth letter in the second
word in square #1 of the mystery word.
NEXT…
From here, time how long it takes to
get to the green road closing sign
near the baseball eld. (Keep track of
how long it takes you, then read the
following.)
Oregon Coast Quest Book, 2023-24 236 seagrant.oregonstate.edu/quests
If it took you more than a minute and
a half, you’re moving too slowly. This
is important because if a tsunami
were to occur, the safest way to get
to high ground is on foot. Because of
the earthquake, it might not be safe to
drive a car. Plus, there will be lots
of people trying to get to safety and
most won’t be in a car, so driving
to high ground could increase the
chances of people getting hurt.
Once you’ve reached high ground,
be prepared to remain where you are
for a couple of days or even longer. If
you are in a group, do your best to get
along with and help each other rather
than making things more difcult, even
if you’re stuck with someone you
absolutely don’t like. You will probably
have to share supplies and ration
food, so it’s a good idea to have an
emergency pack with at least 72 hours’
worth of water in it.
_, E,I,O,U, and sometimes Y. Take the
missing vowel and write it in square
#10 of the mystery word.
NEXT…
Continue on 8th Street, passing
schools on your left. At the corner, turn
left on Franklin Ave. and then left again
onto 9th Street. Stop when you get to
the Bandon School District ofce.
Congratulations! You have reached
high ground! In the event of a real
earthquake an tsunami, you would
want to STAY at high ground for at
least 24 hours. That’s because several
big waves could continue to ood low-
lying areas for several hours.
After an earthquake and tsunami
disaster, water and sanitation will be
your main priorities. However, another
thing to think about is shelter. A tarp or
a tent is often recommended for your
preparation pack.
You’ll want the food you pack to be
high in water and protein but be small
enough that you can carry a lot in a
small amount of space. Matches, a
ashlight, and a hunting knife are good
items to have, as well.
Take the fth letter from the rst word
on the wooden sign in front of the
District Ofce and write it in squares
#8 and #9 of the mystery word.
NEXT…
Now face the sign and turn to the east.
Walk east toward the handicap sign
and stop when you reach the trash
can. Look for the sign with the A in
a blue circle. What does the letter A
stand for? Take the third letter from the
rst word on the sign and insert in the
square #6 of the mystery word.
seagrant.oregonstate.edu/quests 237 Oregon Coast Quest Book, 2023-24
FINALLY…
Put a“K”in square #5 and unscramble
the mystery word.
Now your Quest has ended. Match
your mystery word with a large
wooden sign nearby, and look for the
Quest Box hidden underneath!
When you nd the box, please sign
the log book and let us know what
you thought of this Quest. Stamp your
page as proof of your accomplishment,
and then put the box back in its hiding
place for the next person to nd. Keep
the location of the clues and box a
secret so the activity can remain fun
for all.
Oregon Coast Quest Book, 2023-24 238 seagrant.oregonstate.edu/quests
When you’ve found the Quest Box, sign your name and stamp the back
of your book to mark your accomplishment. Don’t forget to seal the box
ghtly and return it to its hiding place for the next person to nd!
6 7 8 9 10 11
1 2 3 4
Fill in the boxes with the answers to the clues to solve the Quest.
5
For more information about tsunami safety on the coast, visit
www.oregontsunami.org
If you enjoyed this Quest, check out The Oregon Coast Quest Book
2023-24 Edition, which contains maps and directions for this Quest
and 29 other clue-directed hunts across seven counties.
For more information and to find a bookseller, visit
seagrant.oregonstate.edu/quests.
