A2
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
IN BRIEF
Astoria to appeal
state ruling on hotel project
The Astoria City Council voted unanimously on
Wednesday to appeal a state ruling on a permit exten-
sion for a riverfront hotel project.
The state Land Use Board of Appeals in Septem-
ber reversed a decision by the City Council to deny
a one-year extension on building permits for a Fair-
fi eld Inn and Suites.
Hollander Hospitality wants to build the four-
story, 66-room hotel at the base of Second Street.
The company cited economic conditions during the
coronavirus pandemic as the reason for seeking the
extension, but the city pointed out that the company
had ample time before the pandemic to make progress.
“We sought out legal guidance on our case and we
continue to believe that the city’s prerogative to inter-
pret its own code reasonably ought to be upheld, and
so we’ve decided to appeal the LUBA ruling,” Mayor
Bruce Jones said after the vote to go to the Oregon
Court of Appeals.
Seaside woman dies
after Highway 26 crash
A Seaside woman died in a crash involving two
vehicles on U.S. Highway 26 on Sunday afternoon.
Lisa Lawson, 68, who was driving a Kia Soul,
died at the scene near milepost 48 near Manning. Her
passenger, a Seaside resident, was injured and taken
to a local hospital.
The other vehicle, a GMC Sierra, was travel-
ing eastbound, veered into the oncoming lane and
slammed into the Lawsons’ westbound vehicle,
according to Oregon State Police. The driver and his
passenger — two Beaverton residents — also went to
a local hospital.
The incident closed down the highway for about
four hours, police said.
County seeks applications
for Planning Commission
Clatsop County is looking to fi ll a vacancy on the
Planning Commission, the body that allows citizens
to weigh in on issues related to local land use and
development.
Right now, the commission does not have anyone
from District No. 1 or the Elsie-Jewell and Seaside
rural planning areas.
Members meet once a month at 10 a.m. on the sec-
ond Tuesday.
People can pick up application forms at the county
manager’s offi ce at 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, in
Astoria or fi nd them at https://www.co.clatsop.or.us/
county/page/committee-vacancies
Applications are due Nov. 15. The county Board
of Commissioners expects to appoint someone early
next year.
— The Astorian
DEATHS
In Brief
Deaths
Oct. 17, 2021
SOLBERG,
Ray-
mond, 88, of Warren-
ton, died in Warrenton.
Hughes-Ransom Mor-
tuary is in charge of the
arrangements.
STARR, Karl D., 71,
of Grays River, Wash-
ington, died in Astoria.
Caldwell’s
Luce-Lay-
ton Mortuary of Asto-
ria is in charge of the
arrangements.
Oct. 16, 2021
ANDERSON, Dan-
iel James, 38, of Molalla,
died in Seaside. Cald-
well’s Funeral & Crema-
tion Arrangement Center
of Seaside is in charge of
the arrangements.
Oct. 15, 2021
DEUTSCH, Douglas
Patrick, 62, of Seaside,
died in Seaside. Cald-
well’s Funeral & Crema-
tion Arrangement Center
of Seaside is in charge of
the arrangements.
Oct. 11, 2021
NEWTON, Suzanne,
56, of Middletown, Dela-
ware, died in Warrenton.
Hughes-Ransom Mor-
tuary is in charge of the
arrangements.
Oct. 7, 2021
CAMPBELL, Cath-
erine, 77, of Arch Cape,
died in Arch Cape.
Hughes-Ransom Mor-
tuary is in charge of the
arrangements.
Oct. 4, 2021
McGRATH, Don, 73,
of Seaside, died in Port-
land.
Hughes-Ransom
Mortuary is in charge of
the arrangements.
ON THE RECORD
Burglary
On
the
Record
• James
Lee Ogier,
25, of Astoria, was arrested on
Sunday at Grand Avenue and 34th Street for three
counts of burglary in the fi rst degree, 10 counts of bur-
glary in the second degree, four counts of theft in the
fi rst degree, 12 counts of being a felon in possession of
a weapon, forgery in the fi rst degree and criminal mis-
chief in the second degree.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
THURSDAY
Seaside Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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HEADED TO
DRY DOCK
TOP: Workers prepare the Lightship Columbia for its
journey to Portland for maintenance work. RIGHT: A
worker cuts a section of the tugboat to fi t the hull of
the ship for the journey.
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
The Great ShakeOut shows disaster
preparedness goes beyond pandemics
By GARY WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
Amid a pandemic that
has left over 4.9 million peo-
ple dead worldwide, doz-
ens of nations are taking
time out Thursday to pre-
pare for another mass killer:
earthquakes.
The Great ShakeOut is
a global earthquake drill at
10:21 a.m. More than 25
million people — includ-
ing 14.1 million Americans
— simultaneously practice
the fi rst steps of surviving an
earthquake:
• Drop onto your hands
and knees
• Cover your head and
neck
• Crawl to a sturdy desk or
table nearby
• Hold o n until the shak-
ing stops
About 500,000 Orego-
nians signed up to take part
this year, according to the
Oregon Offi ce of Emergency
Management.
“Understanding what to
do in the fi rst few moments
after a disaster can mean the
diff erence between being
a survivor and a victim,”
Andrew Phelps, the Offi ce
of Emergency Management
director, said in a statement
released before the event.
One of the few upsides
of the COVID-19 pan-
demic is it has made peo-
ple around the world more
attuned to a proactive culture
of preparedness.
International
organiz-
ers say they are aware of the
extra challenges of think-
ing about and preparing for
earthquakes amid the natu-
The Great ShakeOut is a reminder to prepare for an earthquake
or other natural disaster.
ral disaster of coronavirus
nearing its two-year mark in
December.
“While COVID-19 has
brought many uncertain-
ties and challenges, one
thing’s for sure, ShakeOut
is still happening,” said an
announcement.
The drill is a reminder in
Oregon of a possible Casca-
dia Subduction Zone earth-
quake on a 680-mile rift in
the Pacifi c Ocean running
from British Columbia to
Northern California.
The 9.0 earthquake c ould
kill up to 10,000 people in
Oregon — with half of the
casualties dying in tsunamis
that would inundate the coast,
according to state studies.
Up to 25,000 could
die from Vancouver, Can-
ada, to Fort Bragg, Califor-
nia, according to t he Cas-
cadia Region Earthquake
Workgroup, a non profi t that
includes governments, busi-
nesses, communities and
other groups working on a
region wide study of disaster
recovery.
In Oregon, more than
85,000 buildings could be
destroyed, the state esti-
mates. West of the Cascades,
much of the infrastructure
of the modern world would
collapse: communications,
water, sewer and electri-
cal systems would fail. Hos-
pitals would be wrecked.
Roads and airports west of
the Cascades would likely be
unusable.
Even traveling by boat
with rescue supplies for the
coast would be in danger
of debris and being hit by
tsunamis.
The Cascades mountains
would act as a natural fi re-
wall against the earthquake,
with damage to the east of
the peaks light or moderate
at worst.
Oregon offi cials have des-
ignated Bend as the clos-
est major population area to
organize rescue and recovery
eff orts and re establish state
government.
With its runways likely
intact or relatively easy to
repair, the Redmond airport
would be the site of airlifts
of supplies and emergency
response crews that would
then be fl own by helicopter
to help victims to the west.
The Cascadia quake
would likely leave large areas
isolated for weeks, while
repairs would last for several
years. The offi cial state price
tag for repair and recovery is
$40 billion.
The magnitude of an Ore-
gon earthquake threat is a rel-
atively recent discovery.
Beginning in the 1980s,
geological surveys, Native
American oral traditions and
meticulous Japanese tidal
records led to an estimate the
last 9.0 earthquake occurred
in January 1700.
Subsequent studies of
the deep rift indicate there
have been up to 41 major
earthquakes along the zone,
spread out at variable inter-
vals, but averaging about one
every 500 years.
With geological time
sequences measured in cen-
turies and decades instead of
hours and minutes, the 321
years since the 1700 earth-
quake puts Oregon today
within the parameters of the
next earthquake.
The state is aiming to get
every resident to create an
emergency plan, including
gathering two weeks worth
of water, food, medicines and
other necessities. Not only
will this help in the event
of an earthquake, but also
storms, fl oods and other nat-
ural disasters.
The Oregon Capital
Bureau is a collaboration
between EO Media Group
and Pamplin Media Group.
Most school staff in county vaccinated by deadline
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
Most school staff in Clat-
sop County got vaccinated
against the coronavirus by
the state deadline.
Gov. Kate Brown ordered
teachers and other school
staff to be vaccinated by
Monday in an attempt to
keep schools open during the
pandemic.
At a news conference
Wednesday morning, school
district superintendents said
the losses of staff due to the
state mandate were minimal.
Astoria Superintendent
Craig Hoppes said 94% of
his staff got vaccinated. T he
school district lost three
employees. The remain-
ing unvaccinated employees
received medical or religious
exemptions.
THE OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY
REPORTED 12 NEW VIRUS CASES FOR
THE COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY, 13 NEW
VIRUS CASES ON TUESDAY AND 12 NEW
VIRUS CASES OVER THE WEEKEND.
“It had no impact on the
day-to-day working of kids
coming to school and being
educated,” Hoppes said. “We
were able to plan appropri-
ately for that.”
Superintendent
Tom
Rogozinski, of Warrenton,
and Superintendent Susan
Penrod, of Seaside, said 93%
of their staff s got vaccinated,
while losing one employee
each. The remaining unvac-
cinated employees received
medical or religious exemp-
tions, they said.
Knappa Superintendent
Bill Fritz said 95% of his
staff got vaccinated. One
employee was placed on
leave, he said, but the school
district did not terminate
anybody.
Jewell
Superintendent
Steve Phillips said staff in his
district reached a vaccination
rate just shy of 90% , but they
lost just one employee.
“It’s no fun, but it didn’t
really aff ect kids,” Phillips
said .
The Oregon Health
Authority,
meanwhile,
reported 12 new virus cases
for the county on Wednesday,
13 new virus cases on Tues-
day and 12 new virus cases
over the weekend. Since the
pandemic began, the county
had recorded 2,432 virus
cases and 27 deaths as of
Wednesday.
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