Looking for a place near Oregon Coast

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by forzalugano

Why do you recommend this, tsunamis, rising sea levels or the occasional storm that washed out the first row of homes.? Was looking to buy a small motel or inn on the sea front, but curious as to the issues that come with that.

30 feet would certainly be clear of a large Tsunami, although erosion could still be an issue.

Issues: Paying attention to tsunami sirens and knowing what to do.

For the record, the last tsunami on the Coast was in 2011, and that tsunami caused zero damage, except to boats and docks. The last significant tsunami was in 1964, that one killed five Oregonians, and flooded structures upto 10 feet above sea level.

To put it in perspective, even if you live in the Tsunami Zone, and take no precautions whatsoever, you are still 27,000 times more likely to be killed in an automobile crash then in a tsunami. If you don't worry much about car crashes, you certainly shouldn't be worried about living in a Tsunami Zone.

[PNW-type-gal]

Look up the Cascadia Subduction Zone

https://www.oregon.gov/oem/hazardspr...tion-Zone.aspx

From a practical standpoint, the next event may well be in the next 5 years or next 50 years or 100 years - but it will definitely affect your ability to get flood or earthquake insurance, something you'd really need as the owner of a commercial building.

You can download potential disaster scenarios here:
Oregon Tsunami Information Clearinghouse - Oregon Dept. of Geology & Mineral Industries

which will tell you where the worst damage within an area will be.

The point another poster made about making sure you have two roads out is that the scenarios include bridge damage and road closures from landslides and other earth movement (along with grid/utility failures). There are not a lot of paved roads that cross the Coast Range/Siskiyou/Klamaths and having the one closest to you unusable could make life very difficult.

Most Oregonians still go to the coast, even knowing about the CSZ disaster potential, because while the odds of an event happening geologically soon are high, the odds of it happening next Thursday when I am at the coast are not high. On the other hand, when I am there I always know what the evac routes are from whatever campground/house I am staying in and I keep a go bag in my truck.

Standard coastal erosion is also an issue in areas where there are bluffs and sand banks, bars or dunes. The state will NOT allow you to rip rap or armor an eroding section (because while it helps your property it just pushes the problem on to someone else's property).