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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, JANuARy 29, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
SHANNON ARLINT
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
A glimpse of the future
t came off as a little gimmicky
10 years ago when Washing-
ton state and Oregon envi-
ronmental agencies began promot-
ing king tides as a preview of the
potential impacts of sea-level rise.
It’s starting to feel more legitimate
following January’s widespread
flooding around the mouth of the
Columbia River and Willapa Bay.
Damaging dozens of homes —
some severely — these floods were
caused by heavy rain, high mid-
winter tides, melting high-coun-
try snow and building in low-lying
areas. This is a moderate La Niña
year, a climatic pattern known for
causing wetter-than-usual winters
in the Pacific Northwest.
Such combinations aren’t terrif-
ically unusual. While there have
been some exceptionally wet days,
our overall precipitation this win-
ter is falling within historic norms.
It’s been rainy but not apocalypti-
cally so, and bright sun these past
several days is a reminder why so
many of us prefer the coast to dank
and gray Puget Sound.
Climate scientists are quick to
accurately point out that one epi-
sode of flooding has little if any-
thing to do with the still-slow
increase in the volume of the ocean
— which has long been offset in
this vicinity by the Juan de Fuca
tectonic plate pushing under and
uplifting our coastline.
Even so, floods in neighbor-
hoods from Raymond to Warren-
ton to Seaside are instructive when
it comes to land use planning, facil-
ity siting and other issues that go
to the heart of acknowledging that
things will be changing and we
need to adjust. The sooner we get
to it, the more likely it is that com-
I
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
A gate near the Necanicum River was partially submerged by floodwaters during January storms.
munities and families will be able
to cope longer and find ways to live
with rising water.
Although every flood-prone
neighborhood, street and high-
way has unique characteristics that
will have to be remedied by care-
ful engineering, it’s possible to per-
ceive some broad themes.
Many communities on the
Pacific Northwest coast are built
on sediment deposits carried
downstream by the Columbia and
smaller rivers. Places like Long
Beach, Seaview, Surfside and Sea-
side are low in elevation with high
winter water tables. Although
they are laced with a combination
of drainage canals, wetlands and
pumping stations, there are situa-
tions when the flood-control infra-
structure just can’t keep up. It’s
time to look at all these provisions
again to see what improvements
are needed.
New construction in flood-prone
areas should be discouraged. If it is
permitted, it would be smart to plan
for flooding by elevating struc-
tures so water can rise underneath
without compromising living areas
and utilities. It may be necessary
to expensively raise some existing
homes.
Every landowner must care-
fully consider how modifications
could affect neighbors — the time
when it was considered acceptable
to fill and raise the ground level of
entire building sites is long past.
Preserving wetlands can seem like
an expensive nuisance, until your
property floods because someone
thoughtlessly filled one in.
It’s a tall order getting streets,
sewer and water systems, high-
ways and vital public buildings
out of harm’s way. As a pragmatic
matter, finances will dictate wait-
ing until many of these assets are
worn out or unusable before they
are replaced or redesigned. But
where there are high and dry alter-
nate sites, facilities should be grad-
ually shifted to them. As a stop-
gap, high-capacity portable pumps
might keep some local streets pass-
able — an investment that more
frequent flooding may justify.
Only time will reveal exactly
how — or if — we can manage
to adapt to higher water. It’s cru-
cial that local elected leaders and
agency heads learn to be adept at
communicating to the public about
how to prepare for long-term flood
risks, and about disaster response
when floods happen.
Adaptation and gradual retreat
will be a persistent theme for
coastal residents worldwide in the
coming decades. There will be
intelligent, cost-effective responses.
Let’s make sure the Pacific North-
west is among the smart ones.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
More parking
W
e have had the hole in Astoria for
some time now. Yes, do some-
thing with it, but do not take away park-
ing space.
It is now very difficult to find a place
to park in Astoria. What we need is more
parking space, not less!
ARDATH DIANE FINUCANE
Warrenton
Opposed
I
am opposed to the Astoria City Coun-
cil amending the development code
and comprehensive plan for the Heritage
Square block.
The streets of Astoria are unsafe now
because of homeless and mentally chal-
lenged people. I agree the city needs to
develop programs, medical care and hous-
ing for them, but not in the heart of the
city and in an available parking space.
There are 500-plus members of the
Astoria Senior Center, which is across
the street from the location being consid-
ered, and many of the members walk to
the facility.
People with mental issues are fright-
ening and threatening to elders. We hear
of scary situations regularly now, and this
plan would only acerbate the situation.
Revitalize downtown Astoria by doing
projects to benefit the businesses and resi-
dents of Astoria. Build housing units with
parking outside the core of downtown.
Provide assistance to the needy, but don’t
destroy the livability of the city for the rest
of us!
BRENDA HOXSEY
Warrenton
Member, Astoria Senior Center
Desensitized
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Editor, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR.,
97103.
M
arian Turski, Holocaust survi-
vor, age 95, was 13 when the rules
started to change:
“First they said we weren’t allowed in
swimming pools, so we said OK, we can
go to the lake. Then they said we can’t
sing inside certain buildings, so we said
OK, we can sing somewhere else.
“They said our children can’t play
with theirs, so we said OK, they can play
among themselves. Then they said we
could not enter stores until after 5 p.m.,
and we said OK, there is less to choose
from, but at least we can still get food. A
few bystanders agreed, many more just
stood and remained silent.
“Most people talk about the end, but
I will never forget the beginning. The
feeling of confusion, the rules that never
made much sense, how we were suddenly
excluded from places and other people.
All it took was a single step, but then it
became one step at a time.”
Having witnessed both the beginning
and ending of the “Final Solution to the
Jewish Question,” Turski noticed that
once the populace is desensitized to dis-
parate treatment of people, the govern-
ment moves quickly to impose restric-
tions on travel and jobs, then begins
removing people from their homes.
Two years ago, federal and state
bureaucrats and politicians told us they
needed “15 days to slow the spread” of
the coronavirus. That was the first step!
When is the last step? A better question
is: “What will the last step look like?”
DIANE GRUBER
Oysterville, Washington