New winter storm hits Northwest
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_011007WABsnowstorm_wedLJ.272a0696.
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SEATTLE - It came later than expected, but the anticipated big snow storm finally hit
Western Washington early Wednesday morning, dropping heavy flakes that started to
accumulating on the ground.
Snow began falling in the far north around Blaine and in the south Puget Sound around 3
a.m. By 5 a.m., that snow began falling heavily in Tacoma and Olympia and steadily in
Bellingham, causing several school closures and delays. Parents should check with their
school districts for the latest.
Drivers should brace for snow during their commute this morning as about one to two
inches of snow accumulations were reported in Tacoma, Bellingham and towards the
Cascades in the city of Goldbar. No major accidents were reported yet, thanks in part to
transportation crews who were out all night spraying de-icer and sand on the ground. As
of 6 a.m., most roads around Puget Sound were mostly wet.
Downtown Seattle saw a short burst of snow around 5 a.m., but it quickly melted on the
roads.
The National Weather Service has a snow advisory in effect until noon for the southwest
interior, including Tacoma, where one-to-three inches are snow are expected. Forecasters
also are advising of one-to-three inches snow in San Juan, Whatcom and Skagit counties.
"There's just going to be on and off snow showers for much of the remainder of the day,"
says KING 5 meteorologist Rich Marriott. "One exception will be up to the north of
Seattle, there will be a convergence zone forming later this morning into the early
afternoon. That's when we're going to see the snow concentrated, probably in the
Lynnwood area and parts of Arlington and parts of Whidbey Island."
Western Washington residents, especially in the south Puget Sound area, woke up to
heavy snow falling on the ground.
The Weather Service says the snow showers will decrease today in Western Washington
but the temperatures will drop into the freezing mark into the weekend. Dry, cold
temperatures from the north will hit later Wednesday afternoon and could leave roads icy
for the evening commute. The back streets could remain treacherous through Friday.
It's even colder in Eastern Washington. The Weather Service says low temperatures will
be in the teens tonight and single digits through the weekend.
Prepping for power outages
In the meantime, power crews are mopping up from the Tuesday afternoon storm that
caused scattered power outages in Snohomish, Island, Skagit and Whatcom counties, and
in the industrial area of Seattle.
Several Port Townsend-Keystone ferry runs were canceled Tuesday because of high
winds, and winds and waves also destroyed part of the dock, damaging a piece of
equipment used to load some vehicles. Therefore, the ferries can no longer take large
trucks at this point.
Prepare for the worst
The Washington State Patrol is warning drivers not to abandon their cars when the
snowstorm hits. Drivers who get stuck are urged to stay with their vehicle and call for
help; that way tow trucks can help drivers get back on the road.
In November 2006, thousands of drivers abandoned their cars, and that forced tow trucks
to waste a lot of precious time. WSP says drivers should also fuel up their cars and pack
blankets and food.
The Coast Guard strongly encourages mariners to properly secure their boats while in
moorage, anchorage or on the beach. Due to recent high winds, rain and rough waters,
many vessels have been found adrift or washed up on the beach. Since November 6, the
Coast Guard has responded to 56 such cases and invested 60 hours due to improperly
secured vessels reported adrift.
Mariners are also encouraged to cover their boats, double up mooring and anchor lines,
and ensure hatches and port holes are sealed.
Oregon beaches beautiful but deadly
Safety - Since 2000, 45 people have lost their lives in accidents along the Pacific coastline
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Oregonian
NEWPORT -- As Doyle Williams strolls along the beach on Oregon's coast with his dogs Shilo and Belle, the
58-year-old thinks of a time when he was a teenager, splashing around in the ocean and was nearly swept
out to sea.
"A lot of times people will get on the beach, and they're not even thinking. You respect that ocean," he said.
"You respect it terribly."
Oregon gained national attention this winter as a beautiful but deadly place with climbers lost on Mount
Hood and tourists trapped on a remote road in Southern Oregon.
The Oregon coast is dangerous, as well.
Since 2000, 45 people have been killed on Oregon beaches, according to the state.
They've been carried out to sea in riptides, fallen from cliffs, died when sand caves collapsed on them, or
been crushed by logs swept by the waves.
"Oregon has a wonderfully undeveloped ocean shore that we want people to enjoy," said Chris Havel,
spokesman for the state Parks and Recreation Department. "But in some ways, it is a wilderness area. It
doesn't care if you're paying attention or not."
Four deaths were recorded last year, six fewer than in either 2005 or 2004. Those statistics don't include
capsized boats, homicides, suicides or other deaths.
The most recent deaths were Nov. 7 at Gleneden Beach, south of Lincoln City, when two women went
beachcombing during a storm and were swept into the ocean.
The state has had a beach safety coordinator who works with parks staff, schools and coastal public safety
agencies since 2000. Last year the recreation department added three beach rangers to promote safety.
On Nov. 7, when the two Beaverton women died, one of the rangers, Dave Woody, was at Gleneden Beach
most of the day to inspect riprap, large boulders placed to protect beachfront homes. The storm ate away at
the coastal cliffs on which houses are perched. The wild weather and wicked waves continued that day.
"I chased seven or eight people from the beach. I happened to see people, and I said, 'This is really
dangerous,' " said Woody, a 30-year veteran of the department.
"People don't take the time to realize the situation they're getting themselves into," he said. "We can warn
them left and right, but if they don't heed the warning, there isn't much we can do about it."
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Being Prepared
Tsunami warning system gets in gear
By LAUREL EDDY
The Daily Astorian
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
SEASIDE - Residents of Seaside might have to live for weeks without their usual
supplies of food, water or shelter if the town is flooded by a tsunami.
The city is working on new warning sirens, an automated phone system to call locals with
emergency updates and instructions, a tsunami education coordinator and outreach
program, evacuation caches with emergency supplies and subsidies for household
weather radios.
U.S. Rep. David Wu successfully advocated for a $500,000 appropriation from Congress
for Seaside's tsunami preparedness in November 2005. It totaled about $420,000 after
federal and state agencies got their share.
The new sirens will have a bigger range and broadcast messages, such as whether the
siren is a test. The current ones are civil defense sirens from the 1930s. There will be a
siren for the Cove at the south of town, and some for Gearhart. Seaside plans its third
annual city-wide tsunami drill in the spring, and City Manager Mark Winstanley wants to
have new sirens in place by then. The city has already tested some sirens in preparation
for deciding which to buy.
The emergency phone system could warn the public of tsunamis, fire evacuations,
chemical spills or other emergencies. The 9-1-1 dispatchers will activate it to call all
buildings within the affected area with a recorded message explaining what is happening
and what action to take. City Planner Kevin Cupples wants the system to call cell phones,
too. It is hoped this will limit 9-1-1 calls from people who want information.
Police Chief Bob Gross said the police department has made a recommendation to
Winstanley on what system to use, and is advising working with the phone company to
make sure the system will not overload circuits. Winstanley said the city will work to
make sure any system is compatible with Clatsop County systems.
The city is in the process of hiring a tsunami education coordinator to set up a volunteer
emergency response program and caches of supplies for immediate needs for evacuated
people.
Seaside had a volunteer program under former coordinator Darci Connor that included a
neighbor-to-neighbor outreach program. Cupples said the program needs to be
reactivated, and this time he wants to make sure it is lasting.
He is considering smaller dispersed caches with an assigned volunteer to distribute the
goods, as opposed to a large warehouse-style cache. A larger cache may come later.
The City Council recently passed an ordinance requiring all new buildings include a
weather radio. Cupples said sirens are not likely to be heard inside buildings. He wants
all the people of Seaside to obtain weather radios. He said weather radios are available on
the Internet and at retailers like Radio Shack. Cheaper ones are available for cars. The
city plans to pay for half of the radio for interested households.
Cupples hopes the weather radios and business outreach will reach workers from hotels,
restaurants, gas stations and stores who can "shepherd" tourists during evacuation.
"We're trying to put some redundancy in the system," he said.
However, local geologist Tom Horning is concerned too much effort is going into
preparations for a tsunami caused by a distant event. That will likely have several hours
warning that will allow people to evacuate, he said. Local events kill.
Horning said a nearby earthquake could cause a tsunami in Seaside within 25 to 35
minutes, and sooner is possible. He considers tsunami waves of 35 feet likely and 45 feet
a possibility. He said tsunami inundation maps show the water could stand 15 feet deep at
the base of the foothills, such as on Wahanna Road near Broadway.
There might not be time for an emergency siren, or it might not work. The emergency
phone system is not guaranteed to work after a massive earthquake, city officials have
said. The only warning is the shaking of the ground. Police and other city staff will focus
on getting personnel and equipment to safety for rescue operations after the tsunami.
Citizens need to be prepared to evacuate on their own, Winstanley said.
Horning believes the Broadway and 12th Avenue east bridges, the 12th Avenue west
bridge and the First Avenue bridge are likely to stand in an earthquake. The older
bridges, including the ones at the north and south ends of town, may not be stable
afterward. "They're spending the money the wrong way," he said. "They need to build
bridges."
He believes there should be more survival infrastructure to deal with displaced locals and
tourists. "What do you do with 35,000 people who've lost their residence? ... How you
gonna feed them? How you gonna clothe them?" It requires a warehouse-sized facility,
he said. "Even if you don't use it for 25 or 30 or 50 years, you'll need it someday."
Cupples believes Seaside has invested more in its bridges than any Oregon city except
Portland. However, Seaside has 13 bridges, and while other agencies are responsible for
some of them, they are expensive to replace.
Horning is concerned by complacency. "I've spoken with city councilors and they've
pretty well given me that impression," he said. He wants to see a community-wide
discussion. He said waiting for the federal or state government to fund bridge-building
may take too long, and city taxes may be the answer.
Horning said Seaside could be cut off from the outside world after a tsunami for a few
days before some emergency responders could arrive by air. It could take weeks to reestablish roads, and Portland would be a higher priority. The city could lose power for a
month or more. He compared it to the December storms, "except you won't have houses."
Gross said the city needs to plan for post-disaster work, which can include providing
shelter, helping people return to their homes and conducting repairs. The city may need to
handle unsafe buildings, gas and power line problems and broken bridges. He said people
should look at the December storms and power outage to see what supplies they need,
and whether to buy a generator.
Gross said city staff did an outstanding job during the December emergency, but will
look at better communications, providing more power to the fire station and City Hall to
help employees and volunteers serve the public and the possibility of using the
convention center as a shelter. Costs must be considered, he said. Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District employees and volunteers staffed the Bob Chisholm Community
Center during the power outage, but Gross said the convention center would have much
more capacity.
Gross said if an earthquake tears up streets and collapses bridges, people will need to do
whatever is necessary to get 50 feet above ground. One option is going to Trendwest or
another large hotel.
Seaside's tsunami siren is a continuous high tone for three minutes. The fire siren, with a
tone that travels up and down, is used as an all-clear signal after a tsunami or drill.
Cupples advises having a plan for family, work and any place being visited, including an
emergency kit in the car and knowledge of evacuation routes.
The city advises families to establish an out-of-state telephone contact, as phone circuits
for out-of-area calls will not be as overloaded. The contact can keep a copy of legal
papers or a record of valuables. Neighbors are advised to develop a plan for helping each
other.
City staff request that people walk to high ground during a tsunami or drill. Cars would
clog the roads, and if there is a large nearby earthquake, roads will probably be
undrivable, Cupples said.
Cars left on impassible roads could become "massive bowling balls" if a tsunami comes,
Connor said while she was coordinator. The cars could be roadblocks for aid workers
trying to get into town, Connor said.
Anyone with questions should log on to http://(www.cityofseaside.us/tsunamiinfo/) or
call City Hall at 738-5511.
AUTHORITIES HOPE TO USE DENTAL RECORDS TO ID
FISHERMAN'S BODY
Published: January 10, 2007
By Valliant Corley
Pilot staff writer
http://www.currypilot.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=14243
GOLD BEACH – The Curry County Sheriff's Department has received dental records
of three missing crewmen from the fishing boat Ash and hopes to identify a body
washed up near Gold Beach as one of those crewmen, Sheriff's Lieutenant Dennis
Dinsmore said.
The fishing vessel capsized and sank near the mouth of the Rogue River on Dec. 16,
with four crew members on board. Bodies of two people have been recovered and
one positively identified. Mark Daniel Wagner, 40, of Port Orford, was identified by
tattoos.
His body was recovered after the Curry County Sheriff's office received a call from
members of the Whale Watch program. The caller reported they believed there was a
human body on the beach on the south side of Cape Blanco Lighthouse,
approximately five miles north of Port Orford.
The second body, which has not yet been identified, was located on the beach about
five miles north of Gold Beach.
The dental X-rays will assist in positive identification. The X-rays were to be
delivered to the forensic pathologist for the Oregon State Medical Examiner's office
on Tuesday, Dinsmore said.
When an official identification is made, that identification will be made public
following notification of family members, he said.
Still missing or not identified are the bodies of owner and operator of the vessel,
Robert James Ashdown, 44, of Port Orford, and crew members Joshua William
Northcutt, 30, of Port Orford, and Louis Thomas Lobo, 39, who had recently moved
to the area from Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon, a survival suit identified as coming from the
fishing vessel Ash was located and recovered from the beach by the U.S. Coast
Guard near Neskowin Creek, Dinsmore said. Neskowin Creek is located between
Lincoln City and Pacific City.
Dinsmore said law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon continue to monitor the
ocean and beach areas in hopes of recovering bodies of the other missing crewmen.
Chertoff Announces New Security Grants
By DONNA DE LA CRUZ
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; 7:43 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011000428_pf.html
WASHINGTON -- Nearly half a billion dollars will be given to U.S. cities and regions to
help reduce the risk of terror attacks on ports, transit systems and chemical plants,
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Tuesday.
Recipients will have to submit detailed plans on how they will use the funds to protect
critical sites, Chertoff said.
"We're simply not going to give the money out without any accountability," Chertoff
said, adding that this was being done to make sure the money "goes for the kinds of
things the public expects."
He touched on previous grant programs that were so broad they allowed cities to use
allocations to pay for just about anything, including leather jackets.
Nearly half the grant money, $201 million, would be used to secure ports and rail
systems, including Amtrak. The Port of New York and New Jersey would get the biggest
share, $27.2 million.
Chertoff's announcement came as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg complained
during a Senate hearing that his city was long overdue in getting its fair share of antiterrorism grants. He compared the current system to spreading dollars "across the country
like peanut butter."
"For the sake of New York City and the security of our nation, I hope you will stop
writing politically derived formulas into homeland security bills," Bloomberg told the
Senate Homeland Security Committee, which is considering further legislation to enact
recommendations of the 9/11 commission.
Seven other ports qualified for Tier 1, or highest risk status. Those included the ports in
the New Orleans region, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The ports will get
$17.3 million, followed by $15.7 million for the Houston area. The other five ports were
Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif. ($14.7 million); Seattle-Tacoma, Wash., area ($12.2
million); Delaware Bay consisting of Philadelphia, Wilmington, Del., and southern New
Jersey ($11.3 million); San Francisco Bay area ($11.2 million); and the Sabine-Neches
River in the Port Arthur-Beaumont, Texas area ($10.9 million).
DHS set aside $172 million to protect the nation's transit systems, with New York City
and northern New Jersey getting the largest cut of $61 million. This year, money for rail
and bus systems are combined, so recipients can decide which system needs more
attention, Chertoff said.
Washington, D.C. and the Baltimore area will get $18.5 million, the Boston area $15.3
million, followed by the San Francisco Bay area at $13.8 million. The other four cities
considered in Tier 1 are Chicago ($12.8 million); Philadelphia ($9.7 million); Greater Los
Angeles ($7 million); and Atlanta ($3.4 million). Amtrak will get $8.3 million.
Transit funding this year includes 19 ferry systems in 14 regions in California,
Connecticut, southern New Jersey and Delaware, northern New Jersey and New York
City, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington state.
Intercity bus systems and trucking safety will each get $11.6 million. And DHS set aside
$48.5 million for "buffer zone protection" which would provide security around critical
facilities such as chemical plants.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., remarked that the New York region was awarded a small
boost in funding in this grant category from last fiscal year.
"We're glad this is a modest increase in funding for New York, but we're still not close to
our fair share of what we need," he said.
Chertoff said he wanted to get away from the mindset of officials comparing how much
money they got from year to year.
"We're investing resources where risk is greatest and where the funds will have the most
significant impact," he said.
____
Associated Press writer Devlin Barrett contributed to this report.
Fish and Wildlife Commission has full agenda
Two-day meeting in Salem to cover numerous topics
Statesman Journal
January 10, 2007
http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/OUTDOORS/701100327/1034
Before the gavel goes down for the last time Friday, the members of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife
Commission might have wished that they had met in December.
The cancellation of the December session rolled those scheduled agenda items into the January,
forcing a rare pair of all-day sessions Thursday and Friday in Salem.
Normally when the commission holds multiday meetings, the Thursday gathering is informational
and educational, touring Fish and Wildlife projects such as habitat-improvement efforts or
facilities such as hatcheries.
But the doubled agenda -- from rockfish rules and the draft coho salmon plan to commercial
sardine permits, crab-pot limit appeals and rules for private bird-hunting preserves -- should prove
to be marathon.
And a graduate-level seminar for the commission's newest member, Bobby Levy of Echo.
She takes the seat for Congressional District 2 for the first time after being appointed to replace
departed commissioner Don Denman of Medford.
Here is a chronological overview of the major sportfishing and recreational-hunting items on the
agenda:
 A presentation, discussion and vote about ocean so-called "groundfish" fisheries rules.
Modifications from 2006 include an eight-fish daily bag limit on rockfish, greenling, cabezon and
other species except salmon, lingcod, Pacific halibut, perch, sturgeon and flatfish.
A separate, 25-fish daily bag limit on flatfish, which includes soles, flounder, sanddab and halibut
(except Pacific halibut).
Moving up the gate of the sport groundfish closure outside of 240 feet depth (40 fathoms) to April
1 and running through Sept. 30
That closure began June 1, 2006.
Lowering the lingcod minimum size from 24 inches to 22 inches.
Closing areas of Stonewall Banks to keeping rockfish year-round (the 2006 closure was June
through September and during Pacific halibut seasons).
 A Coastal Coho Conservation Plan briefing. Although an information item, substantial
public testimony on the draft is expected.
 Discussion and votes on Fish Restoration and Enhancement Program projects
recommended for approval.
 A discussion and vote on rules that would allow for "fast-track" review and approval of
emergency seeding for post-wildfire erosion control and habitat restoration.
 Discussion and votes on projects recommended for money from the Access and
Habitat Board.
A presentation, discussion and vote about a rule that would add a third type of marking for birds
being raised and held at private hunting preserves.
 An update on the draft plans for Fern Ridge, Jewell Meadows and Wenaha Wildlife
areas.
 A discussion and public comments about a pair of petitions from hunting groups to
phase out cervid (elk and deer) ranching in Oregon.
Since the November meeting, biologists for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
have recommended that the public process start on one of the petitions that would allow
for the attrition over time of permits by not allowing any new ones to be issued, or
current permits to be sold, exchanged or passed on.
 An executive session (closed to the public) about legal matters confronting the
commission and the department.