FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2025
Cowlitz Indian Tribe to Partner with ODART for Full-Scale Emergency
Exercise Simulating Catastrophic Earthquake Response
The Cowlitz Indian Tribe Emergency Management is participating in a full-scale exercise on
June 14, 2025 in partnership with the Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team (ODART). This
exercise will provide participants with an opportunity to refine and demonstrate the
capabilities of working with volunteer organizations in assisting emergency management in
dealing with a catastrophic level event such as a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.
The exercise will focus on safety, decision-making, and coordination. The exercise is
intended to strengthen interagency coordination, enhance situational awareness through
aerial observations, practice transporting supplies, people and animals, and emergency
communications.
The Tribe is providing a donation of approximately 300 pounds of food and household
supplies, which will be flown by a volunteer ODART pilot from the Aurora Oregon airport
(KUAO) to the South Lewis County Airport (TDO). Lewis County Amateur Radio Emergency
Service volunteers will maintain HAM radio contact between airports. Ground volunteers
from the Civil Air Patrol will move the cargo and provide it to the Winlock Toledo Food Bank.
Additionally, Cowlitz County emergency management drone pilots will conduct a mock
damage assessment flight over the Tribe’s Housing facility near the airport.
About ODART
ODART, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is run entirely by volunteers who respond to requests from
local emergency managers to provide logistical support when communities face
disruptions due to disasters. This exercise will show how small planes, piloted by
volunteers, can land on a variety of surfaces – from paved runways and grass strips to
sandbars and water –delivering food, medical supplies, and other essential items when
traditional routes are obstructed.
About the Cowlitz Indian Tribe
The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is a growing force in community building in the Pacific Northwest.
The Cowlitz Reservation neighbors Ridgefield, Washington, and is home to ilani, the Pacific
Northwest’s premier gaming, dining, meeting, and entertainment destination. The mission
of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe is to preserve and honor the legacy of its elders and ancestors
by empowering a tribal community that promotes social justice and economic well-being,
secures aboriginal lands, respects culture and sovereignty, and fosters justice, freedom,
and mutual welfare. More information can be found at cowlitz.org.
Contact Information
Cowlitz Indian Tribe Media Contact: Madison Hitchcock,
mhitchcock@cowlitz.org
Kirsten Newbury, ODART PIO, krnewbury@comcast.net
Jim Origliosso, ODART President, joriglios@gmail.com
Website, https://www.odart.org