Does Oregon experience natural disasters/problems as much as other Western states? (Portland: earthquake, places to live)

[Silverfall]

Unfortunately I can't vote on your poll because none of those cities have a stable economy

Otherwise, I have lived here 20 years in the valley. I have felt one earthquake (the early 90's one). It cause some cracks in foundations.

I think our biggest problems are mudslides on the coast and in some of the hills in the valleys and river flooding. You can purchase an earthquake rider for a house if you want. I don't have one on my house, but I did when I lived on a hill.

If you are worried you can look at the flood maps. I agree that river flooding is a big deal here. The flood zones are fairly well laid out I think and you can purchase flood insurance or choose not to live in a flood zone.

I have driven from Salem to Lincoln City on the coast many a time. I don't see how any tsunami would come this far inland. If it does, then the apocalypse is here. It is not flat terrain to the coast.

Oregon already has an illegal immigrant population. I'm not sure that it is growing significantly at this point, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't study or worry about it. I am not aware of any drug cartels, but there is organized drug trading I am sure. We have Mom and Pop folks cooking anti-freeze on their stove. Not sure they are involved with cartels or just idiots. I'm thinking idiots personally.

[Oregonbeachlover]

Originally Posted by Steve97415

We have a lot of problems with drug cartels: Pfizer, Abbott Laboratories, Novartis, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson...they're all scumbags.

Steve, I agree with you.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

I have driven from Salem to Lincoln City on the coast many a time. I don't see how any tsunami would come this far inland. If it does, then the apocalypse is here. It is not flat terrain to the coast.

My guess is that the geology professor's comment was based on some disaster-movie-of-the-week-sized tidal wave (like the one that swamps the Empire State Building in the movie out a few years back). Yes, it's remotely possible to flood the Willamette Valley, it's just really really really unlikely. It's also possible to put a wave surge up the Columbia that floods (with a small "f") the very low-lying areas of Portland, but it'd have to be just the right wave at just the right angle and equally unlikely.

There was more effect on river height from Bonneville spilling water to crank up electricity production for the aluminum plants than there is Pacific Ocean tidal effect.

[Minervah]

I can tell you about the volcano eruption in 1980. Yes Portland was covered in ash. It was advisable to stay inside. I was renting a house at the time in the Woodstock area and my back yard look surreal; all gray and ghostly. The sky was dark for awhile. If the wind blew toward you if was difficult to breathe. This happened to me once when I was downtown during the lunch hour. Fine ash was blowing everywhere.

The second eruption happened while my sister who was visiting me was driving us to a friend's house. The ash covered the windshield. Before I could tell her not to turn on her wipers and windshield fluid she did both creating a thick muck we couldn't clean off without heavy duty cleaner.
It was not fun and it was very scary. Wildlife was killed and the beautiful Spirit Lake was no more. Mountain dweller Harry Truman who decided to stay in his home on the mountain perished in the eruption with his cats who didn't have a choice about staying.

People who visited the mountain to see the bubbling and activity also died while running away from the smoke and flames. Residents in nearby Kelso and other towns lost their homes and in some cases their lives.

It was not fun and I hope we never have to go through it again.

[sarahkate_m]

Mt. St. Helens

[Minervah]

Good website Sarahkate. Here is one about Harry Truman. I don't see why people glorified him. So he chose to die in a horrible way and that was his choice. But at least he could have shipped the cats out of danger.

Crotchety Harry Truman remains an icon of the eruption (http://www.seattlepi.com/mountsthelens/hary11.shtml - broken link)

I don't know where the professor the OP talks about got the notion that a tidal wave would spread to the Willamette Valley. Sounds like science fiction to me. But they are having severe flooding at the coast right now.

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Good website Sarahkate. Here is one about Harry Truman. I don't see why people glorified him. So he chose to die in a horrible way and that was his choice. But at least he could have shipped the cats out of danger.

Crotchety Harry Truman remains an icon of the eruption (http://www.seattlepi.com/mountsthelens/hary11.shtml - broken link)

I don't know where the professor the OP talks about got the notion that a tidal wave would spread to the Willamette Valley. Sounds like science fiction to me. But they are having severe flooding at the coast right now.

Minervah, if you'd like, you can post at this thread! Today's Oregon Weather... I'm looking online but I can't find recent enough info to read what you're talking about. Your input would be appreciated *smiles*

[KingRondo]

Though we are in the window for the next major earthquake (pretty much comparable to the Sumatra earthquake/tsunami in 2004), the odds of that happening during any one person's life are very small. The same thing probably goes for volcanic eruptions, although if Three Sisters acts up I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it. Flooding happens pretty much every winter, although major, life-threatening floods only happen about once every 5-10 years or so. Same story with windstorms -look up the Columbus Day Storm if you want to see the worst that can happen-.
Probably the most dangerous weather-related thing is depression from the incessant rain, but that's what summer is for, right?

[pw72]

Originally Posted by Minervah

I can tell you about the volcano eruption in 1980. Yes Portland was covered in ash. It was advisable to stay inside. I was renting a house at the time in the Woodstock area and my back yard look surreal; all gray and ghostly. The sky was dark for awhile. If the wind blew toward you if was difficult to breathe. This happened to me once when I was downtown during the lunch hour. Fine ash was blowing everywhere.

The second eruption happened while my sister who was visiting me was driving us to a friend's house. The ash covered the windshield. Before I could tell her not to turn on her wipers and windshield fluid she did both creating a thick muck we couldn't clean off without heavy duty cleaner.
It was not fun and it was very scary. Wildlife was killed and the beautiful Spirit Lake was no more. Mountain dweller Harry Truman who decided to stay in his home on the mountain perished in the eruption with his cats who didn't have a choice about staying.

People who visited the mountain to see the bubbling and activity also died while running away from the smoke and flames. Residents in nearby Kelso and other towns lost their homes and in some cases their lives.

It was not fun and I hope we never have to go through it again.

"portland covered by ash" is a bit deceiving. There was a thin dusting which did little damage. Yakima, WA WAS covered by ash, as was much of Eastern Washington. Day turned to night in this town, and that never happened in Portland. Not sure where you are getting your info from...if it is from memory, then I'm sorry, but your memory is flawed.

[Sign]

Originally Posted by pw72

"portland covered by ash" is a bit deceiving. There was a thin dusting which did little damage. Yakima, WA WAS covered by ash, as was much of Eastern Washington. Day turned to night in this town, and that never happened in Portland. Not sure where you are getting your info from...if it is from memory, then I'm sorry, but your memory is flawed.

No doubt.
I still recall a lot of the images from the news back then. A LOT of ash in eastern WA. Day into night and snowplows......plowwin about 6" of ash off the streets in Ritzville or Moses Lake. Spokane saw ash too, I believe.

Not so much ash in Portland since much of St. Helens blew off the north face and the winds carried most of the ash east from there. Being that Portland is to the south and slightly west from St. Helens........it (Portland) was spared much of the fallout.