coast Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

New flood management plan considers more flooding types

By Lauren Gallup October 19, 2023

In Pierce County, levee setbacks have been completed along rivers, including the Puyallup. This picture shows the river running near the Orville Road Setback Revetment. Projects like these are included in the new flood hazard management plan. (Credit: Lauren Gallup / NWPB)

After about five years in the works, the Pierce County Council adopted a new Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan that broadens the scope of what kinds of flooding the county will plan for – from coastal to urban flooding. Angela Angove is the floodplain and watershed services manager with Pierce County Planning and Public Works. She said different types of Read More

‘Blue Tides’ Of Sailor Jellies On Northwest Coast Correlate With Warmer Seas In Winter

By Tom Banse March 25, 2021

A mass stranding of Velella velella at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon, in 2015.

New research out of the University of Washington finds a correlation between warmer ocean waters and mass strandings of By-the-wind sailor jellyfish over the past two decades. The brief, widespread beachings of "gazillions" of purplish-blue jellies along the Pacific Northwest coast create a memorable sight for those who chance to be in the right place at the right time.Read More

Prepping For ‘The Big One’: Coastal Hospitals Get Creative With Disaster Planning

By Tom Banse October 17, 2019

Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital facilities director Chris Lemar shows flexible piping designed to withstand earthquake shaking in the new hospital. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

The state of Oregon is pushing the community hospitals along the Oregon Coast to improve their earthquake resilience. This comes after a state report predicted none of them would be able to sustain operations after the feared Big One -- a magnitude 9 offshore Cascadia earthquake and tsunami.Read More

Northwest Coastal Towns Grapple With Growth Of Vacation Rentals

By Tom Banse August 21, 2018

Newport's Nye Beach neighborhood has the city's highest concentration of short-term vacation rentals. CREDIT: TOM BANSE/N3

Hot housing markets in major cities like Seattle and Portland have pushed the cities to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb. But small Pacific Northwest towns popular with visitors are also struggling to balance the growth of Airbnb-type rentals with a tight housing supply. Read More