The Trump administration is withholding funding to tsunami-proof this hospital

2 weeks ago

Local leaders successful Astoria, Oregon are building a infirmary meant to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis, but nan Trump management canceled its FEMA grant, and nan shutdown has stalled communication.

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The Trump management has canceled billions of dollars successful national grants crossed aggregate agencies, and 1 of those grants is for a programme that was designed to thief section governments fortify places that are susceptible to earthy disasters. NPR's Katia Riddle reports from Astoria, Oregon, connected nan effect of those national cuts to 1 hospital.

KATIA RIDDLE, BYLINE: Eight years ago, Erik Thorsen sewage immoderate bad news. He's nan CEO of a mini infirmary successful Oregon. A number of experts and engineers from nan authorities came to meet pinch him and different leaders of hospitals connected nan coast.

ERIK THORSEN: And they fundamentally said, nary of you are prepared for a awesome earthy disaster from nan Cascadia subduction zone.

RIDDLE: His hospital, called Columbia Memorial, was built decades ago. Now that we cognize much astir earthquakes, it's difficult to ideate a worse spot to build a hospital. Not only is nan full municipality successful a awesome subduction zone, nan building is conscionable a fewer blocks from nan water, connected apical of dangerously unstable ground.

THORSEN: So nan mentation is, if nan earthquake happened, that crushed underneath america would liquefy and nan building would perchance collapse.

RIDDLE: If they negociate to enactment opinionated done nan earthquake, they'll person different problem.

THORSEN: If we hap to stay upright and a tsunami comes our way, possibly we get 20 to 30 minutes of announcement to evacuate group up nan hill.

RIDDLE: After that meeting, Thorsen sewage to activity fundraising to fortify his infirmary for a seismic event.

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RIDDLE: On this caller day, building workers are engaged anchoring nan hospital's caller foundation, drilling holes much than 60 feet into nan ground. Hundreds of piles will anchor nan building and support it intact during an earthquake. Right now, nan infirmary is conscionable sitting connected apical of nan soil.

THORSEN: Sixty-five-foot-tall drill spot is drilling down to nan bedrock. And they conscionable started...

RIDDLE: It's a ginormous drill.

THORSEN: (Laughter) That is complete a 100 feet tall, that drill, successful total.

RIDDLE: It took years to raise nan money to renovate nan hospital. The full fund is astir $300 million. A captious portion of that backing was promised to them from FEMA, nan Federal Emergency Management Agency. Thorsen and his squad were awarded astir $14 cardinal successful national money to thief them build thing called a vertical removal area successful nan hospital. Outside, Thorsen describes what it will look for illustration erstwhile it's done.

THORSEN: The building is 97 feet, and nan helipad sits connected nan roof. So it's astir apt going to beryllium adjacent to nan level of those 3 houses that are backmost there.

RIDDLE: The thought is that aft an earthquake, pinch nan infirmary still standing, group wrong would safely move up to these apical levels and debar nan tsunami. Community members could besides shelter here. But successful April, nan Trump management canceled nan national programme that granted them nan money. It's called BRIC - Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities.

SUZANNE BONAMICI: It's conscionable incredibly frustrating.

RIDDLE: Democratic Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici represents this area. After nan Trump management canceled nan program, nan determination was legally challenged. Now nan money is tied up successful court. Recipients for illustration this infirmary still haven't been capable to entree immoderate of nan costs they were promised. Bonamici says she and her unit person been pleading pinch anyone who will perceive to thief them get nan money going again.

BONAMICI: I mislaid count of really galore calls I person made trying to get personification from FEMA connected nan phone.

RIDDLE: FEMA did not respond to requests for remark connected this story. Bonamici says this rumor is applicable to everyone who lives successful this community.

BONAMICI: You can't outrun a tsunami, truthful this infirmary will beryllium a safe place. It will prevention lives. It will prevention property. And it is really captious that now that they're underway pinch building that this backing comes through.

RIDDLE: The thought of redeeming group successful a tsunami by vertically evacuating alternatively than trying to outrun it is not new. Some different earthquake-prone places for illustration Japan person already built structures for illustration these. Oregon is conscionable getting started, says Chris Goldfinger. He studies paleoseismology astatine Oregon State University.

CHRIS GOLDFINGER: We're sitting present on, you know, nan overused phrase, ticking clip bomb.

RIDDLE: A magnitude 9 earthquake, says Goldfinger, is simply a realistic anticipation here.

GOLDFINGER: Those hap connected mean conscionable nether 500 years. And we're 325 years since nan past one.

RIDDLE: At slightest 25,000 group could dice successful this scenario, according to immoderate estimates. A fewer different places successful nan Pacific Northwest person built these kinds of structures. Goldfinger says they're difficult to finance without national support.

GOLDFINGER: The national authorities is really nan only entity that's ample capable to really woody pinch this arsenic a national-level problem. It's conscionable good beyond thing nan states could do alone.

RIDDLE: Astoria is simply a logging and sportfishing town, arsenic good arsenic a tourer destination. It's besides a uncommon politically purplish spot successful nan United States. Willis Van Dusen was politician present for much than 2 decades and helped raise costs for nan infirmary project. He's a registered Republican. Van Dusen says erstwhile Trump officials started talking astir eliminating waste, fraud and abuse, he was for it.

WILLIS VAN DUSEN: Course there's waste, fraud and abuse.

RIDDLE: So erstwhile they first announced these cuts, you thought, great.

VAN DUSEN: Absolutely. This is great. This is what we wanted. This is what Trump ran on. OK, let's spell get nan waste, fraud and abuse.

RIDDLE: He's sitting successful his office, conscionable blocks from nan hospital. He says now that nan Trump management is interfering successful his town, he sees it differently.

VAN DUSEN: What is much important than a infirmary successful a agrarian organization for illustration Astoria? Now, it saved my life.

RIDDLE: Van Dusen points to a framed photocopy of a portion of insubstantial - nan EKG reference erstwhile he had a bosom onslaught immoderate years ago. At 1 point, he flatlined.

VAN DUSEN: All these are (imitating electrical current), and they're hitting nan paddles. And I had really died.

RIDDLE: It was doctors astatine Columbia Memorial that brought him back. Van Dusen says he and galore different group successful Astoria wouldn't beryllium present without this hospital. Making judge that it tin support providing attraction during an earthquake and a tsunami, he says, is nan other of waste, fraud and abuse.

VAN DUSEN: And conscionable to naughty that money distant from us, I can't conscionable opportunity it makes - it's frustrating. It makes maine livid. It makes maine angry.

RIDDLE: Van Dusen says he's not nan only 1 successful this municipality who's mad.

VAN DUSEN: I cognize each azygous Republican that I person talked to is livid complete what's happening.

RIDDLE: Back astatine nan project's headquarters, infirmary CEO Erik Thorsen says they are not giving up, moreover without nan national money.

THORSEN: We're fighting arsenic hard, I think, arsenic we tin conflict to effort to reconstruct nan BRIC assistance funds. And unfortunately, FEMA, moreover anterior to nan shutdown, had benignant of gone silent connected america and now, pinch nan shutdown, very silent connected us.

RIDDLE: With this size of a project, says Thorsen, it's intolerable to conscionable region while nan courts make a determination astir nan money aliases nan authorities reopens. They've been reasoning done different ways to finance it.

THORSEN: There's thing arsenic important arsenic a BRIC grant, though, that we've uncovered truthful far.

RIDDLE: For nan moment, says Thorsen, they're proceeding arsenic planned - still building nan vertical removal structure, trying to deliberation creatively.

THORSEN: We person this responsibility to make judge that our patients and our residents and citizens are safe. And that's been nan driving unit behind, really, nan project.

RIDDLE: After all, says Thorsen, what other is authorities for, if not to protect group from earthy disasters? Katia Riddle, NPR News, Astoria, Oregon.

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