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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2016)
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM • COMPLIMENTARY COPY OUR 110th YEAR • August 19, 2016 New fl ood maps needed to avoid sanctions Communities benefi t overall from latest mapping data By Erick Bengel EO Media Group Residents in Gearhart, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Clatsop County and those in Warrenton’s Diking District No. 1 will be unable to buy fl ood in- surance, renew existing fl ood insur- ance policies and will face additional consequences unless their jurisdiction adopts new federal fl ood insurance rate maps. The urgent message resonated at an open house Monday at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center, where locals looked over draft revisions to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s maps that identify fl ood risk along the coast . Adoption of the maps — which will be used to set fl ood insurance rates and shape community develop- ment decisions — will involve new fl ood hazard ordinances. “It’s pretty dire if the cities and county are unable to move forward with the adoption of these ordinanc- es,” said Patrick Wingard, regional representative for the Oregon De- partment of Land Conservation and Development. A community that fails to adopt the maps will be suspended from the National Flood Insurance Program and face a host of sanctions. Not only will residents be ineligi- ble for fl ood insurance, the communi- ty will not qualify for federal grants or loans for development in fl ood hazard areas, or for federal disaster assis- tance to repair insurable fl ood-dam- aged buildings in those areas. “If you are suspended from the National Flood Insurance Program, that affects folks’ ability to get mort- gages; it affects the business climate, the local economy and the regional economy,” Wingard said. Happy results The communities will mostly benefi t from the mapping updates, which are the result of a countywide study that began in 2009 and incor- porate the latest topographic tech- nology. The bottom line: Far more land was removed from the 100-year fl ood plain, which has a 1 percent chance of fl ooding in any given year and a 26 percent chance of fl ooding during the life of a 30-year mort- gage, according to Heather Hansen, the county’s fl ood plain manager. See Maps, Page 6A Joey Burda, Katie Dyk, Katie Nicholls and Josh Sweigert came from far and wide for Seaside volleyball. PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES Kevin Hart, left, as Ben Barber and Ice Cube as James Payton in a scene from the fi lm, “Ride Along 2.” Hart plans to run in the Hood to Coast Relay. IT’S NO JOKE… Comedian Kevin Hart will run Hood to Coast R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL By Katherine Lacaze For Seaside Signal PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE Comedian Kevin Hart may be one of the most well-known individuals running in the 2016 Hood to Coast Relay, but just as in years past, the event — along with the concurrent Portland to Coast Walk and High School Challenge — promises to bring 18,000 competitors to Seaside next weekend. For the past 18 years, the nearly 200-mile over- night race reached capacity, or 1,050 12-person teams, on the opening day of registration. This year was no different, according to Dan Floyd, chief op- erating offi cer for the Hood to Coast Race Series. Competitors from each state and more than 35 countries are registered to participate in the events, which begin Aug. 26 at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood for Hood to Coast runners and down- town Portland for walkers and high school teams. All three events conclude with a grandiose Finish Line Party in Seaside on Aug. 27. Nike’s team this year includes running advo- cate, producer and performer Hart, along with 11 other celebrities. Hart announced his participation in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel and posted to his Facebook page in early August. During the video, the comedian jokes about tak- ing on “the toughest, most craziest 10K,” only to be told it is actually a nearly 200-mile race that starts on Mount Hood, offi cially characterized by the U.S. Geological Survey as a “potentially active” volcano. He responds, “198 miles? By myself?” It’s a relay race, the reporters reassure him. “You got to get fi t,” Hart concludes. “You never know when a surprise 198-mile-potential- ly-life-threatening-active-volcano relay race is going to sneak up on you. This is one of those moments.” Floyd confi rmed Hart’s participation “is defi - nitely happening.” “We don’t know which leg he’s running, and we do know he’s planning to make it to Seaside,” he said. Hart will have his own security personnel, but organizers also will provide Hart and his team “luxuries that other teams don’t get that will make it a lot easier for them to make sure he is safe,” Floyd said. HAVING A BALL Seaside is the star of volleyball tournament By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal S easide’s biggest party was in full swing over the weekend , with spectacular weather and a beach full of volleyball players and fans. With the Summer Olympics in Brazil airing the world’s best athletes every night, the competitors in this year’s am- ateur tournament received added inspira- tion. “Gosh, to me it actually boosts up the morale and that excitement of playing,” said co-organizer PT Thilavanh. “The players are watching the Olympics after they’re done and then they’re anxious to play even more.” See Volleyball, Page 10A JEFF TER HAR/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL Ice bucket challenge, or just cooling off ? This volleyball com- petitor enjoys a splashdown. A promise made, a promise kept Angels for Sara off ers sanctuary for senior dogs By Eve Marx For Seaside Signal Jacque Pressly got the idea to start Angels For Sara, a sanctuary for se- nior dogs, while working for the Clat- sop County Public Works Department. “I cleaned the Clatsop County Ani- mal Shelter a couple of times a week in the evening,” she said. “There was an old Rottweiler there named ‘Sara.’ She came to the shelter because her owner had passed away and the family didn’t want her. She spent most of her time in the lobby or one of the offi ces.” When Pressly arrived for work, Sara followed her around. “One eve- ning I arrived and she wasn’t there,” Pressly said. “I was so excited because I thought she fi nally got her forever home.” She soon learned Sara had been euthanized because her health was in such decline. “My heart broke,” Pressly said. “If I had only known, I would have taken her home with me to keep her comfortable and loved instead of her having to live out her days in a cold shelter with no one to love her.” Pressly said she cried all that night as she worked. “When I went outside to take out the garbage, I saw it was a beau- tiful night and the stars were so bright. I looked up at them and made Sara a promise that some way, some how, I was not going to let this happen again.” Pressly is a big believer that things happen for a reason. A few days after learning of Sara’s death, her friend Jackie Beerger, a Cannon Beach resi- dent who worked as a volunteer at the Clatsop County shelter, came to her with an offer to rent an 89-acre proper- ty with a mobile home. Pressly immedi- ately thought it would be a good place to have a senior dog sanctuary and be- gan doing the necessary paperwork. ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ In 2013 Angels for Sara became a non profi t corporation. “In January 2014 I moved on to the property,” Pressly said. “And in June 2014 our fi rst senior dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, came to live there.” Angels For Sara is a small group providing quality care to senior dogs that have been abandoned to shelters. Made up of a dedicated team of vol- unteers, sponsors, and veterinarians, Angels for Sara is funded by grants, sponsorship and donations. The sanctu- ary offers hospice care to dogs and pro- motes awareness regarding long-term See Dogs, Page 8A SUBMITTED P HOTO Bailey the cocker spaniel, 13, is look- ing for a good home.