The City of Newport and other coastal Oregon communities are well aware that the cities they call home are at risk of a significant Cascadia earthquake that would generate a large tsunami. This means that everyone in tsunami inundation zones will need to get to high ground within 15 to 20 minutes.

Areas of Newport, particularly the South Beach Peninsula, have a great deal of property within the inundation zones. This area includes the Oregon Coast Aquarium, NOAA, the Hatfield Marine Science Center, Rogue Brewery, and OMSI’s Camp Gray.  Additional properties located in the immediate area include private residences, campgrounds, lodging establishments, and other businesses.

To address the evacuation needs of people in this area, the city joined with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Oregon Emergency Management (OEM), and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to develop a forested hill at the south end of the Yaquina Bay Bridge as a tsunami evacuation assembly area. The assembly area, now known as Safe Haven Hill, is capable of accommodating up to 2,300 people.

This project is an example of a successful partnership between the City of Newport, FEMA, and ODOT. ODOT owns the property, but the project was made possible through funding from FEMA in the amount of $663,273, and the city’s South Beach Urban Renewal District in the amount of $221,091.