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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016
Waves: Bystanders should never enter the ocean to save somebody
Continued from Page 1A
“These waves become dan-
gerous when beachgoers are in
or near the waterline, and expect
that the gentle spilling waves
they have been experiencing will
continue,” Hansen explained.
“The sneaker wave will quickly
travel further up the beach than
expected, and may sweep people
off their feet and pull them back
into the surf.”
Researchers aren’t sure why
or how sneaker waves form, but
it’s generally thought that they
develop as many waves travelling
at the same speed come together,
overlapping and combining to
create a wave that crests taller and
travels much farther ashore than
normal.
The waves can sweep up peo-
ple close to the water’s edge in an
instant, and can carry large debris
— like the massive logs that line
the coast — over top of beachgo-
ers. A viral video shot in Charles-
ton this past January shows the
terror and suddenness with which
a sneaker wave can arrive.
Hansen said the best way to
stay safe is to be aware if you go
near the water, and to stay within
arm’s length of small children if
they’re playing in the surf. If you
do get swept up, don’t try to fight
the current — conserve energy
and focus on keeping your head
above water until rescuers arrive.
Bystanders should never enter
the ocean to save somebody, she
added, but should instead call 911
and keep visual contact with any
victims.
Warning signs are posted at
Oregon beaches, but victims’ fam-
ilies have complained that they’re
not enough. After a wave killed
two Eugene teenagers in Febru-
ary 2011, the community erected
a memorial statue at Smelt Sands
State Park that offered a personal
story and a blunt message: “The
Ocean is a treacherous wonder.”
“Nobody predicts the ocean,”
Chris Havel, Oregon State Parks
spokesman, said after the deaths
in 2011. “The only thing you
can predict is 362 miles of ocean
shore that is a wild area. You
struggle with the idea that you
want to keep the ocean shore the
kind of place people want to visit,
not over fenced, not over signed.
Then something tragic happens
and you question everything
you’ve done before that.”
AP Photo/Don Ryan
A lone person walks on the beach in Seaside. Since 1990, all major sneaker wave incidents have occurred between
October and April, peaking in November and March. In that time, at least 21 people have been killed by sneaker
waves on the Oregon Coast, and several others have been severely injured.
Brown: Governor is expected to release her balanced budget Thursday
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Wheeler’s effort, referred
to as the Investment Mod-
ernization Act, stalled out
several times after meeting
opposition from lawmak-
ers on both sides of the aisle
who voiced trepidation about
the proposal.
Read, in an interview
Tuesday, said that he would
support the Governor’s Office
in its efforts and emphasized
communication with the pub-
lic and the Oregon Legislature
about the state’s investing.
“… I expect we will be
supportive and helpful to
the extent that we are asked,
but I’m also cognizant of the
fact that Treasurer Wheeler
and the Treasury have made
specific efforts a number of
times,” Read said.
Reducing
investment
costs might be one small
way to address the $22 bil-
lion unfunded liability facing
the state’s public employee
retirement system.
PERS is managed inde-
pendently and has its own
board, but the Oregon Pub-
lic Employees Retirement
Fund is managed by the trea-
surer, under the direction of
the Oregon Investment Coun-
cil, according to the treasury.
The investment council is
required by state law to get
the highest possible return on
its investments.
In 2015, the Oregon
Supreme Court struck down
most of the legislature’s
recent PERS reform efforts.
A bipartisan legislative work
group is now looking at other
ways to address the PERS
issue.
The governor is expected
to release her balanced bud-
get Thursday.
“ WE BEAT
MY CANCER
TOGETHER.”
CAROLYN OLSEN – BEND, OREGON
It was just before Christmas in 2008 when Carolyn Olsen of Bend spoke to her
doctor. The news was bad: multiple myeloma, a cancer that attacks blood cells.
Treating it meant traveling to OHSU. She’d have to be away from home for months.
But she knew she could not be away from Dennis, her husband. Throughout her
treatment, he was always with her. Reading to her, giving support, being there.
According to Carolyn, being together made all the difference.
“ The new OHSU guest house will be very
important, not just for patients, but also
To help others like Carolyn and Dennis, we’re building the Gary & Christine Rood
Family Pavilion, a new five-story guest house on Portland’s South Waterfront. Where
children and adults, facing the most serious health crises, can rest, heal and support
each other. Because people heal better when loved ones can be close.
Please make a gift today. Help OHSU build a new home for healing.
OnwardOHSU.org/HomeForHealing
ONWARD // THE CAMPAIGN FOR OHSU
for their loved ones. So together you can
concentrate on getting well.”
– CAROLYN OLSEN