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A7 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2019 Bridges: Years ago ‘the tsunami was not even considered’ Continued from Page A1 The fi nding is important, said Pedro Lomonaco and Solomon Yim, Oregon State researchers who contrib- uted to the study, because it can help engineers under- stand why bridges fail and lead to more tsunami-resis- tant bridges along the Ore- gon Coast. “The breaking of the bearing connections was the main type of bridge dam- age seen in recent tsunamis, showing that it’s critical to quantify what the tsunami is doing to these components and decipher the underlying physics,” Yim said. Deadly examples The need to better under- stand wave impacts on coastal bridges was largely motivated by seeing bridges destroyed during tsuna- mis off Japan and Indone- sia. Over the past 15 years, big earthquakes have caused tsunamis that killed more than 250,000 people and caused more than $200 bil- lion in damage, the study estimates, washing away or dislodging hundreds of bridges. The research could help coastal cities like Seaside, which has several aging bridges that are expected to fail in a tsunami. The topic has been raised recently by City Councilor Tom Horning, a geologist who has long advocated ret- rofi tting bridges as a top pri- ority for the city. With two major riv- ers to cross before getting to higher ground, having bridges that can last will be crucial to maintaining evac- uation routes. “Bridges are one of the easiest, fastest connection points to help people after an emergency,” Lomonaco said. “If you don’t have the bridges, there is nothing you can do.” To fi nd answers, research- ers simulated a tsunami on a model bridge at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory’s Large Wave Flume in Corvallis. Part of what researchers found was that most bridges are built too rigidly, Yim and Lomonaco said. Instead of seeing the con- crete columns under a bridge as infl exible blocks, imagine them like springs. When the tsunami hits the deck of a bridge it will bend, making it vibrate both back and forth and up and down. The bridge deck and pil- ings not only feel the static forces coming from the earthquake and tsunami, but the additional pressure from these vibrations. “We are changing the paradigm ... to the con- cept of thinking about how a bridge is moving, chang- ing,” Yim said. The irregular shape of traditional trusses and gird- ers also creates unaccount- ed-for turbulence, they said. In general, the wall of water should be moving in one direction, but when it has to go through trusses, the water weaves in and out, add- ing different hydrodynamic forces that can compromise the bridge’s stability. “The high pressure that developed under the bridge played a signifi cant role on the stability of the bridge, and different mitigation measures were tested, from closing the gaps between girders to incorporating venting on the concrete deck,” Lomonaco said. More research Given how young the area of study is, more research is needed to understand why certain bridges survive and why others do not, the team says. But researchers hope the study gives engineers a bet- ter understanding of the physics of what happens when a tsunami slams into a bridge and opens the door to designing coastal spans that are better able to withstand giant waves. “Think back 10, 15 years ago, the tsunami was not even considered,” Yim said. “We’ve come a long ways.” Consult a PROFESSIONAL spouse is still working Q: My and I am covered under their employer coverage. Do I have to pay for Part B and Part D coverage now that I am Medicare eligible to avoid a penalty? Steve Putman question! I get this one all the A: Great time. In general, if you are covered by your spouse’s employer plan, you do not have to activate and pay your Medicare Part B or have a Part D prescription plan. It is a good precaution to check with your spouse’s employer to make sure you have what is called “Credible Coverage”. They will know what that is. When you are ready to move to Medicare Licensed in Oregon make sure well in advance to begin the process and Washington of activating your Part B Coverage. You can call me and I will assist you in planning your putmanagency@gmail.com transition to Medicare. Medicare Products 503-440-1076 Q: How do your prices compare to the Big Box Stores? LEO FINZI Astoria’s Best.com Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Several bridges in Seaside have been determined to be insuffi cient in an earthquake or tsunami. Also closed was the Grant Tree Trail, a popular hiking spot, because the govern- ment shutdown halted main- tenance and left the path dan- gerously slick from ice and snow, with at least one injury reported, the park service said. Campers at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California’s deserts were reporting squabbles as dif- ferent families laid claims to sites, with no rangers on hand to adjudicate, said Ethan Feltges, who operates the Coyote Corner gift shop outside Joshua Tree. Feltges and other busi- ness owners around Joshua Tree had stepped into the gap as much as possible, haul- ing trailers into the park to empty overfl owing trash bins and sweeping and stock- ing restrooms that were still open, Feltges said. Feltges himself had set up a portable toilet at his store to help the visitors still stream- ing in and out of the park. He was spending his days stand- ing outside his store, offering tips about the park in place of the rangers who normally would be present. “The whole community has come together,” Felt- ges said. “Everyone loves Dakota Snider A road lined with trash in Yosemite National Park in California. the park. And there’s a lot of businesses that actually need the park.” Some visitors have strung Christmas lights in the twist- ing Joshua trees, many of which are hundreds of years old, the Los Angeles Times reported. Most visitors were being respectful of the desert wil- derness and park facilities, Joshua Tree’s superinten- dent, David Smith, said in a statement. But some are seizing on the shortage of park staffers to off-road illegally and oth- erwise damage the park, as well as relieving themselves in the open, a park state- ment said. Joshua Tree said it would begin closing some campgrounds for all but day use. At Yosemite, Snider, the local resident, said crowds of visitors were driving into the park to take advantage of free admission, with only a few park rangers working and a limited number of restrooms open. Visitors were allowing their dogs to run off-leash in an area rich with bears and other wildlife, and scatter- ing bags of garbage along the roads, Snider said. “You’re looking at Yosemite Falls and in front of you is plastic bottles and trash bags,” he said. Offi cials at Rocky Moun- tain National Park in Col- orado said Monday they were closing restrooms and locking up trash bins in many locations. In Yellowstone National Park, private companies have picked up some of the maintenance normally done by federal workers. The con- tractors that operate park tours by snowmobile, buses and vans are grooming trails, hauling trash and replacing toilet paper at pit toilets and restrooms along their routes. Nearly all roads inside Yellowstone are normally closed for winter, meaning most visitors at this time of the year access park attrac- tions like Old Faithful or the Grand Canyon of the Yellow- stone through guides. Those guides are splitting the cost of grooming the trails used by their vehicles to keep their operations going, said Travis Watt, general manager of See Yellowstone Alpen Guides based in West Yellowstone, Montana. The tour companies can likely keep this system going through the entire winter sea- son if they need to, Watt said. “It’s defi nitely not our preference — the park ser- vice does a good job doing their thing and we hate to see them out of work,” Watt said. “But it’s something we can handle.” Gecker reported from San Francisco. Matt Volz contrib- uted from Helena, Montana. 10TH STREET Continued from Page A1 ASTORIA TRANSIT CENTER Parks: ‘You’re looking at Yosemite Falls and in front of you is plastic bottles and trash bags’ We stock 1000’s of parts, cables, accessories, etc. for phones, TVs, Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 11-4 computers, and Astoria, OR tablets. 503-325-2300 Daly estimates he’s shut- tled hundreds of people in the tram between their hotels and Fort George Brewery’s Fes- tival of the Dark Arts each February, helping to free up parking and potentially keep- ing impaired drivers off the road. Daly had insurance on the Glam Tram through Berk- shire Hathaway . After his friend Robert “Jake” Jacob died last year, he received a call from an insurance agent, who informed him the vehi- cle had been running with- out insurance for the past two months. Daly reached out to numerous brokers around the country, but he said he couldn’t fi nd any takers aside from one offer to insure the Glam Tram and the Joy Train for around $10,000 a year, far above the $1,850 he had been paying. “There are all these new requirements,” Daly said of getting the tram registered with the DMV. “I am now on a do-not-insure list. By mak- ing it legal, I’ve put myself in a corner.” Daly has received multi- ple calls from people wanting to charter the Glam Tram for private events. But the vehi- cle has to stay in storage until it is sold or scrapped . Because of the steep price of insur- ance, he has also stopped shuttling people around in the Joy Train. “The chartering, the fun stuff, that’s all gone,” he said. “People are mortifi ed by it.” He has reached out to the city about employing the tram to take people along the Asto- ria Riverwalk while the Asto- ria Riverfront T rolley is out of service during waterfront bridge repairs, but he said he doubts the city will bite. Daly still plans to use the Joy Train in a partner- ship with 1859 m agazine to deliver copies of the state- wide lifestyle publication to far-fl ung areas of Oregon. you find at the Big Box stores. If you find an advertised item at one of their stores you would like buy, we can match their price. In addition, you get local service, a suite of programs that includes an Office Suite, Anti-Virus program, several tune up utilities and our promise of Satisfaction Guaranteed. We also include remote assistance, where we can connect to your computer over the internet and help you out. Astoria’s Best, Your best value. Q: Muscle spasms can be a thing of the past. horses in the leg,facial tics A: Charlie and back spasms are all deficiency ASTORIA CHIROPRACTIC Barry Sears, D.C. 503-325-3311 2935 Marine Drive Astoria, Oregon symptoms — muscles are irritated and working too hard — they don’t have the nutrients they need. Muscles need calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D taken together. Seventy-six percent of Americans are deficient in those nutrients. People may be OK until an injury when the increased activity in the hurt area causes the deficiency symptoms. It is easy and quick to correct. Time of day and dosage are important and need to be adjusted until the spasms stop. If you need help figuring this out, call Dr. Sears. Q: My child’s baby teeth have cavities. Why should they be filled if they are just going to fall out in a few years? JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR DMD, FAGD 503/325-0310 1414 MARINE DRIVE, ASTORIA www.smileastoria.com teeth are very import- A: Children’s ant to the health of the child and the development of the dental jaw and forming permanent teeth. Baby teeth not only give the child chewing function, cute esthetics, but also serve an important role in the jaw formation. Premature loss of primary teeth can adversely affect the jaw growth, position and timing of the eruption of permanent teeth, and if badly decayed or infected be a source of pain, sickness, and risk to other teeth. Please have your dentist evaluate your child’s “baby teeth”. Is it possible for someone Q: to change your final Tram: ‘By making it legal, I’ve put myself in a corner’ Continued from Page A1 prices for units we have on A: Our display are comparable to what disposition arrangements if they are prepaid? is extremely difficult for A: It someone to arbitrarily make John R. Alcantara - Funeral Director Hughes- Ransom Mortuary Astoria: 576 12th St. 503.325.2535 Seaside: 220 N. Holladay 503.738.6622 www.hughes-ransom.com changes to a prepaid prearrangement in the State if Oregon because the law is written in favor of the on the responsible party who made prepaid their final expenses. Ergo, someone cannot change the wishes of individual who prepaid for full casket burial to cremation or vice versa. The only time I have seen this happen is when there is a legitimate risk to public health (if the person died from an exotic strain of disease and /or virulent pathogen)