Depoe Bay committee reviews county Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, flags erosion, landslide and bridge risks

The Depoe Bay Emergency Preparedness Committee reviewed Lincoln County's draft Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP) at its July 14 meeting, identifying content and pagination inconsistencies and calling attention to local hazard priorities.

Committee members said the plan is a useful starting point but needs clarification on maps and localized vulnerability descriptions. Kim, committee member, asked for clarification on a statement that identifies the north side of the Depoe Bay harbor as "particularly vulnerable to coastal erosion." Committee members located that reference on the hazard map and agreed it corresponds to the harbor-side hillside above the harbor's north edge.

Why it matters: the NHMP guides county and local mitigation priorities and supports grant applications for projects such as seismic retrofits and targeted coastal assessments. Correctly identifying at-risk areas and action items helps the city pursue funding and prioritize infrastructure upgrades.

Specific concerns and findings

- Pagination and document versions. Several members raised that the printed copies had different page numbers, which complicated review. The committee asked staff to confirm the correct, current PDF version before submitting detailed comments.

- Coastal erosion and the north harbor. Members highlighted language describing the north side of the harbor as "particularly vulnerable" and asked the county to confirm the precise geographic area the phrase references (the steep hillside above the harbor was identified in the meeting).

- Liquefaction and soil concerns. The draft assigns liquefaction risk to parts of the community because of underlying sandy deposits beneath shallow basalt; committee members discussed local soil profiles and asked that maps used to site caches and critical equipment be checked against liquefaction and soft-soil layers.

- Bridge and transportation vulnerability. The plan notes the Highway 101 crossing and older bridges as potential lifeline vulnerabilities. Committee members stressed continuity of access and discussed identifying alternate overwater transport options if primary routes are damaged.

Action items and next steps

Committee members agreed to assemble highlighted comments and submit them to the county; they also recommended the city pursue targeted technical assessments for high-risk coastal erosion areas and pursue seismic retrofit grant opportunities for critical facilities. The committee asked city staff to confirm which plan version the steering committee should annotate and to forward a single, stable copy for markup.

Ending: The committee will compile written feedback on the NHMP, request corrected page-numbered documents from county staff and explore funding options for the assessments referenced in the plan.