Clatsop County

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News Release

Clatsop County Welcomes Release Of $14.5 Million For CMH Resilience Project - 09/28/26

Federal funding supports tsunami-resilient hospital expansion and vertical evacuation structure

 

ASTORIA, OR — Clatsop County is welcoming the release of more than $14.5 million in federal funding for Columbia Memorial Hospital’s expansion project in Astoria, clearing a major hurdle for construction of a more disaster-resilient hospital and vertical tsunami evacuation structure.

 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency funding will support resilience features incorporated into the new hospital, including a deep-pile foundation and a vertical evacuation structure designed to accommodate up to 1,900 people. Critical infrastructure, including generators and the hospital’s helipad, will also be located above the tsunami inundation zone.

 

The funding was awarded through FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program but had remained unavailable as the future of the BRIC program was challenged during the past year.

 

“This victory was made possible by an extraordinary, multi-level coalition that showcases the true power of local, state, and federal collaboration,” said Mark Kujala, Chair of the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners. “Our community kept this project front and center, and people at every level of government continued working together to make sure this critical funding was restored.”

 

Kujala credited Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Cliff Bentz for their continued advocacy, along with Gov. Tina Kotek, Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Sen. Suzanne Weber, Rep. Cyrus Javadi, and the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee.

 

He also thanked his fellow County Commissioners, County Manager Don Bohn, Sheriff Matt Phillips, Emergency Management Director Justin Gibbs, and partners at Oregon Emergency Management who worked with the County and CMH throughout the funding uncertainty.

 

“When FEMA went dark over the last 17 months, Jon Weibe, Rachel Foley, and Stephen Richardson at Oregon Emergency Management kept us entirely aligned and compliant,” Kujala said. “Likewise, the dedicated CMH project team—led by CEO Erik Thorsen, Project Director Molly Wing, and Michelle Checkis of ZGF—met every rigorous demand to preserve our eligibility. We stood together every step of the way to win for Clatsop County.”

 

Clatsop County is the governmental applicant for the FEMA grant, working in partnership with Columbia Memorial Hospital on the project.

 

The hospital expansion is designed not only to strengthen health care services on the North Coast, but also to provide critical infrastructure following a major earthquake and tsunami. The vertical evacuation structure will offer refuge for hospital patients, staff, visitors, and members of the surrounding community during a tsunami.

 

The release of the federal funding completes a critical piece of the project budget and allows work on the hospital’s disaster-resilience features to move forward.

 

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Clatsop County Welcomes Release Of $14.5 Million For CMH Resilience Project - 09/28/26

Federal funding supports tsunami-resilient hospital expansion and vertical evacuation structure

 

ASTORIA, OR — Clatsop County is welcoming the release of more than $14.5 million in federal funding for Columbia Memorial Hospital’s expansion project in Astoria, clearing a major hurdle for construction of a more disaster-resilient hospital and vertical tsunami evacuation structure.

 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency funding will support resilience features incorporated into the new hospital, including a deep-pile foundation and a vertical evacuation structure designed to accommodate up to 1,900 people. Critical infrastructure, including generators and the hospital’s helipad, will also be located above the tsunami inundation zone.

 

The funding was awarded through FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program but had remained unavailable as the future of the BRIC program was challenged during the past year.

 

“This victory was made possible by an extraordinary, multi-level coalition that showcases the true power of local, state, and federal collaboration,” said Mark Kujala, Chair of the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners. “Our community kept this project front and center, and people at every level of government continued working together to make sure this critical funding was restored.”

 

Kujala credited Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Cliff Bentz for their continued advocacy, along with Gov. Tina Kotek, Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Sen. Suzanne Weber, Rep. Cyrus Javadi, and the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee.

 

He also thanked his fellow County Commissioners, County Manager Don Bohn, Sheriff Matt Phillips, Emergency Management Director Justin Gibbs, and partners at Oregon Emergency Management who worked with the County and CMH throughout the funding uncertainty.

 

“When FEMA went dark over the last 17 months, Jon Weibe, Rachel Foley, and Stephen Richardson at Oregon Emergency Management kept us entirely aligned and compliant,” Kujala said. “Likewise, the dedicated CMH project team—led by CEO Erik Thorsen, Project Director Molly Wing, and Michelle Checkis of ZGF—met every rigorous demand to preserve our eligibility. We stood together every step of the way to win for Clatsop County.”

 

Clatsop County is the governmental applicant for the FEMA grant, working in partnership with Columbia Memorial Hospital on the project.

 

The hospital expansion is designed not only to strengthen health care services on the North Coast, but also to provide critical infrastructure following a major earthquake and tsunami. The vertical evacuation structure will offer refuge for hospital patients, staff, visitors, and members of the surrounding community during a tsunami.

 

The release of the federal funding completes a critical piece of the project budget and allows work on the hospital’s disaster-resilience features to move forward.

 

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