They Might Be Giants rocks Agate Hall I 5
Oregon Daily Emerald
An independent newspaper at the University of Oregon
www. dailyemerald. com
Since 1900 \ Volume 107, Issue 51 | Thursday, November 3, 2005
■§■ Disaster preparedness
lUAiSTRATI ON
Although rare, major floods can happen here;
areas in and out of the floodplain are vulnerable
BY KATY GAGNON
NEWS REPORTER
Unusually heavy rainfall
poured on Oregon for days in
February 1996. Rising waters in
numerous rivers and streams
battered areas throughout
Western Oregon.
People frantically filled and
placed sandbags along the
Willamette River in downtown
Portland in an effort to salvage
precious buildings and homes.
Eugene was lucky.
Flood waters backed up
stormwater systems
and localized flood
ing occurred in low
lying areas. Several
roadways throughout
Lane County were
closed and flood wa
ters washed over In
terstate-5 north of
Eugene near Boston
Mill Road overpass.
In some cases, basements
were flooded, but “houses
were barely out of it,” said
Chuck Solin, Eugene emergency
program manager.
For the most part, the city was
spared, he said.
The 1996 flood was a 25-year
event and should not be used “to
gauge the level of flood risk for
the Eugene/Springfield Metro
Area,” the Eugene Multi-Hazard
Mitigation Plan stated.
According to the plan, much
larger floods are possible. Classic
conditions for a major flood in
the Willamette Valley — large
snowpack, warm weather, heavy
rainfall occurring at a time when
reservoirs are pooling water for
summer irrigation — could cause
flooding in the area, and places
like Autzen Stadium and neigh
boring apartment complexes,
such as Duck’s Village and Uni
versity Commons, are especially
at risk. Students living in sub-lev
el apartments or basement are in
danger of experiencing flooding
as well.
There are some things the city
can do to prevent flood damage,
such as improving current
stormwater systems, channeling
small creeks and building levees
or flood walls on major rivers, ac
cording to the mitigation plan.
Dangers to campus
PART 2 OF 3
Wednesday: How
prepared is Eugene for an
earthquake?
Today: What is the city's
flood plan?
Friday: How can people
prepare for disasters?
A map by the city of
Eugene and the Federal
Emergency Manage
ment Agency shows
that Autzen Stadium
and nearby apartment
complexes could experi
ence great damage
in the event of a
massive flood.
According to the map, tne
stadium and surrounding areas lays
in a 100-year floodplain, giving
those facilities a 1 percent chance of
enduring a major flood every year.
Most of the University is located
on a hill and rests outside of the
floodplain. Most likely, problems on
campus during a flood would result
from water runoff, said Paul Bruch,
University facilities specialist.
Water will run into the Mill
race, flooding areas near the
Willamette River. This may affect
University buildings in that area,
including Facilities Services and
the power plant.
Basements of campus build
ings may be damaged if storm
water systems are blocked
and cause localized flooding,
said Andre LeDuc, program
director of Oregon Natural
Gateway
'•Mall I
Valley
River •
Center
Stadium
Springfield
University
District
Councii ol Governments
Chris Todd | Graphic artist
Eugene flood hazard areas
KEY
□ Flood area
■ Rivers
□ Urban area
■ Major roads
Courtesy
This manufactured-home park’s drywell-based storm drainage system was
unable to keep up with the excess of water in the flood of 1996.
Hazards Workgroup.
Students living in basements
of older houses near campus
may also experience flooding,
Solin said.
Assessing the risk
A 100-year flood has washed
through the Eugene area before.
FLOOD, page 16
Apartment
sale verdict
looms; foes
multiply
As the University seeks to sell
Westmoreland, a senator, ASUO
and the RHA oppose the move
BY MEGHANN
M. CUNIFF
NEWS EDITOR
The Westmoreland
Tenants Council’s
fight against the Uni
versity’s proposed
sale of the Westmore
land Apartments has
three new allies: Sen.
Bill Morrisette, D
Springfield, the Resi
dence Hall Associa
tion General Council
and the ASUO.
STATE BOARD
MEETING DETAILS
What: The University seeks
permission to sell the
Westmoreland Apartments.
When: Friday at 8a.m.
Where: The State Board of
Higher Education meeting at
Portland State University.
Visit www.dailyemerald.com
Friday afternoon for coverage
of the meeting.
The RHA Council passed a motion at its
meeting Monday condemning the University’s
efforts to sell the property and asking the State
Board of Higher Education to remove the
proposition to sell the apartments from Friday’s
meeting agenda. Morrisette sent the board a let
ter Tuesday asking that it postpone any action
on the proposal to allow more time for discus
sion between tenants and the University.
The ASUO wrote a letter Wednesday to the
HOUSING, page 4
Senate drops
ticket-taking
proposal for
unruly fans
Senators opt for less severe
punishments for dangerous
behavior at athletic events
BY NICHOLAS WILBUR
NEWS REPORTER
Two student government committees
on Wednesday pushed aside last week’s
idea of revoking athletic ticket privileges for
unruly students in favor of more student
friendly approaches.
Athletic Department Finance Committee
Chairman Kyle McKenzie said he discovered
last week that the only way to revoke
student tickets is through the Student
Conduct Committee.
The Student Senate also decided Wednes
day night to create an ad-hoc committee to
recommend a list of possible solutions regard
ing “unclassy fan behavior” to University
President Dave Frohnmayer.
The Senate and ADFC agreed that a “major
TICKETS page 4