Tillamook gets $30 million for solutions to flooding
The Water Resource Development Act will fund long-term help for Tillamook Bay flooding Tuesday,
By Jonathan Nelson, Correspondent, The Oregonian, August 17, 1999
The federal government is funneling $30 million toward Tillamook County in the hope of developing a long-term solution to reduce flood damage and stem the flow of flood insurance claims.
Tucked inside the massive Water Resource Development Act, the legislation gives Tillamook County not only access to the $30 million, but also priority over other governmental agencies seeking similar funding, according to Sue Cameron, a Tillamook County commissioner.
Tom Manning, the county's emergency management director, said federal agencies approved the money with the intent of avoiding future costs in the form of flood insurance claims. Since 1977, nearly $2 million has been paid on 66 flood insurance claims in the city of Tillamook, according to federal records.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will distribute the money, which will be used for nonstructural repairs such as creating wetlands and restoring flood plains. The corps is conducting a study to determine the best approach to lessen the damage caused by seasonal flooding. One product of the study will be a hydrodynamic model demonstrating where the water flows.
The Tillamook Bay watershed is fed by five rivers running down coastal mountains. When heavy rains come, the bay fills, causing water to flow back into an ancient riverbed that extends from two miles north of old town Tillamook to the city limits at the Wilson River, near the Tillamook Cheese factory. In between lies a commercial strip of land along U.S. 101 that has carried the brunt of recent floods.
Manning said the business district sustained more than $5 million in damage last winter. Development in the flood zone continues to be a topic of debate.
Until more long-term solutions are implemented, the county is clearing sloughs and rivers of debris and shoring up waterways, Cameron said. Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is also available to people who want to sell their property or raise a structure. Manning said close to $2 million has been spent since 1996 to raise more than 100 structures.
The latest dose of federal aid puts the burden on Tillamook County to change the course of past winters in which high waters wreaked havoc, Cameron said.
"What are our options -- sit back and let this hurt us more?" she asked.
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