Since April 4, projects funded or promised funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program have either been outright cancelled or placed on hold pending FEMA review.
Several infrastructure projects in the Grays Harbor area are still in limbo. One project that did ultimately get the go-ahead is Westport’s tsunami tower.
According to GeoHazards International, “A vertical evacuation structure is a building or earth mound that is specially designed to resist earthquake and tsunami forces, and its height allows people to evacuate above the level of tsunami inundation. The main purpose of vertical evacuation structures is to provide protection during a tsunami. These buildings are especially important where high ground does not exist or where local earthquake sources do not allow people enough time to evacuate, between the moment when an earthquake strikes and the time when the first tsunami wave reaches the shore.”
Tsunami towers have been constructed at Ocosta Elementary School and in Tokeland — the first such structures built in the United States. Discussions for more structures in the region continue.
On Nov. 3, the city of Westport hosted a schematic design meeting for its tsunami tower which is a major step toward making the structure a reality.
Representatives from Washington Emergency Management Division, Westport Mayor Ed Welter, City Councilor Troy Meyers, city staff, and design partners from Degenkolb Engineers, RFM, and RHA attended the briefing.
“We had a really good kickoff meeting. At this point in time we are set for on time, on budget,” Welter said. “Everything is trucking forward.”
During the meeting, attendees reviewed design concepts, safety features, and site details that will guide the next phase of this project which will serve as an evacuation refuge capable of protecting nearly half of the population of Westport in the event of a tsunami.
Considering the issues with federal government funding, Welter says the city of Westport is fortunate to be able to move forward with the tsunami tower.
“I feel amazing about it, maintaining this funding and getting it back was an absolute community effort, not just within the South Beach community but within the state of Washington,” Welter said. “The list of representatives and lobbyists and community members to thank is too long for this interview. It is amazing and it is a testament to what can be done with the public’s willpower to apply pressure to their elected officials in the right direction.”
Back in May, the city of Westport was notified that the Period of Performance for the federal grant for the tsunami tower had been extended until December 2027, which will allow Westport to complete the design work and plan for the construction of the structure.
According to FEMA, “The Period of Performance is the period of time during which the grantee is expected to complete the grant activities and to incur and expend approved funds. … The total amount of time (sometimes several years) during which the federal agency authorizes a grantee to complete the approved work of the project described in the application.”
In 2018, Westport secured a planning grant from FEMA to draft tower design renderings and prepare a grant application and was awarded a $16.7 million grant in November 2023. The project entered into its design phase in 2020. Construction cost is estimated at $11.4 million. Design development is expected to be completed in February. The project must be completed no later than Aug. 31, 2027.
