WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued an opinion that the Washington coastline, specifically of local interest on the Long Beach Peninsula, is not at risk of a significant tsunami event.

The agency now classifies the peninsula as being in “relatively-moderate” danger from earthquakes and tsunamis. The south Washington coast now ranks “relatively low” on the National Risk Index. The formula was developed to assess natural disaster risks.

A local official sees the move as a cost-savings maneuver that ignores evidence from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources that the area is within the time window for a massive subduction zone earthquake and resulting tsunami.

It’s unclear what effect the new designation will have on Pacific County moving forward, such as grants for mitigation projects. Pacific County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott McDougall is still assessing the potential fallout.

“My concerns center around the potential impact that these decisions may have on Hazard Mitigation Funding,” McDougall said. “We also know that there will be funding decisions around improving resiliency within the county. That certainly may potentially be reduced.”

“My biggest frustrations center around the fact that FEMA is basing an entire risk platform, an all-hazards risk platform, on data that ignores the best available science and also ignores FEMA’s own statistical information about what has happened here in the past and how often it has occurred,” he added.

In stark contrast to FEMA’s decision, officials from DNR released a simulation in August 2020 that showed the county’s low-lying areas at risk of ruinous inundation following a major offshore quake.

The Pacific County Commissioners and McDougall have already contacted the county’s federal representatives, including U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Washougal) in an effort to address FEMA’s classification.

It’s estimated that Pacific County needs 23 to 29 vertical evacuation towers to adequately protect county residents. Federal funding would be necessary because the overall cost could top $87 million.