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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2016)
Playing safe at the beach Be beach smart. Even though the beach is fun, you need to play safe. The Oregon Coast is a great place to visit. Whether you are looking for seashells, building sand castles or exploring tide pools, the beach can be a lot of fun. Remember, the ocean has dangerous waves, logs, rocks and cliffs. Talk to your family and friends about how to play safe on the beach. Beware of rip currents. Rip currents are strong currents of water that rush out to sea. They can form on any beach that has breaking waves. If you look closely, you can see a rip current. It will have dark muddy water and be very choppy. You might see foam and other debris floating out to sea. If you see a rip current, stay away! They are very dangerous. If you are ever caught in a rip current, don’t panic. Try to relax and swim parallel to the beach. Don’t try to fight the current. If you have trouble swimming, tread water and call for help. Parents: Be sure always to watch your children closely when they are playing in and around water. Don’t climb on drift logs. Logs on wet sand or in the water are especially dangerous. The ocean is strong enough to pick up even the biggest log and drop it on top of you. If you see a log on wet sand, stay off of it. Be aware of incoming tides. Tide pools can be so interesting that you might lose track of time. Make sure you know when the tide is coming in so that you don’t get stranded. Free tide tables, available at state park offices, information centers and many shops and motels, list the times of high and low tides. Be careful on cliffs and rocks. Ocean spray and heavy rains can make rocks and trails slippery and unsafe. Stay on marked trails and behind all fences. They are there for your safety. When hiking, make sure you wear the right type of shoes. Stay away from cliff edges. Don’t stand under overhanging cliffs, which can be dangerous. Beware of sneaker waves. Watch out for “sneaker waves.” These are waves that appear suddenly and are unusually large. They rush up on the shore with enough force to knock you down and drag you out to sea. Keep your eyes on the ocean. Understand tsunamis. There are two types of tsunami warnings that you need to be aware of: a distant event and a local event. With a distant event, you will be alerted by sirens located throughout the city. Proceed by foot and follow the posted evacuation route signs to higher ground. With a local event, you will feel a powerful earthquake. Take immediate cover until the earthquake subsides, then go immediately to higher ground on foot, following the posted evacuation routes. 24 | March 3, 2016 | coastweekend.com Know who to call when you need help. In an emergency, call 911. • Providence Seaside Hospital 725 S. Wahanna Road, Seaside, OR 97138 503-717-7000 • Providence Medical Group-Seaside with walk-in availability 727 S. Wahanna Road, Seaside, OR 97138 503-717-7060 • Providence Medical Group-Cannon Beach with walk-in availability 171 N. Larch, Suite 16, Cannon Beach, OR 97110 503-717-7400 • Providence Medical Group-Warrenton with walk-in availability 171 S. Highway 101, Warrenton, OR 97146 503-861-6500 For Providence Medical Group appointments or to check walk-in availability, call the nearest north coast clinic listed above. Providence.org/northcoast
