Cascadia today: floods displace thousands + OR unemployment highest in US + buy local for the holidays
Floods displace thousand in BC and WA
After more than 75,000 people were ordered evacuated from the Skagit River flood plain in Washington, Cascadia Daily News reports that about 3,800 were in need of emergency shelter. KING-5 News reports that the 100+ year old dike on the Skagit is keeping the town of Mount Vernon safe for now, while rivers including the Nooksack, Puyallup, and Cedar were all above flood stage. CBC reports that some 500 residents of Abbotsford and other regions of the Fraser river valley in British Columbia were evacuated and Highway 1 was closed temporarily. The Tyee reports that there have been some improvements in monitoring the cross-border floods impacting southern BC from Washington's Nooksack River, which caused catastrophic flooding in 2021.
KUOW looks at how climate change is accelerating these floods: most of the precipitation is falling as rain, even in the high Cascades, meaning lower snow pack and more water in the region's rivers. Oregon's ski areas haven't seen enough snow to open and it's already mid-December.
"If there's less falling as snow and more falling as rain, that means there's more water that can end up directly in the rivers and contribute to flooding," – Washington climatologist Guillaume Mauger.
GOP lets health care subsidies expire, Cascadia to be hit hard
PBS reports that Republicans in the Senate rejected a bill that would extend ACA health care subsidies, likely guaranteeing that millions in the US will see their Obamacare health premiums skyrocket. In Oregon, where 97% of residents now have health insurance, that number is expected to plummet. In Washington, premiums are expected to increase 21% on average.
Now that the federal government has abandoned us, Washington and Oregon need to move forward on universal health care. Oregon has already passed a pathway to universal health care and a commission is expected to produce a plan later next year. Health Health Care Oregon has a great guide of talking points for meeting with your legislator and urging them to move the process forward. In Washington, please urge your legislators to vote for SB 5233, in the upcoming session, which would establish the Washington Health Trust, a step toward universal health care.
Andrew Engelson
Oregon unemployment rises to 5.2%, highest in US
Oregon Capital Chronicle reports that unemployment in Oregon climbed from 4.2% in September 2024 to 5.2% currently – the highest rate of joblessness of any state in the US. A study from Moody's in October found that both Washington and Oregon are either at high risk of or currently in recession. Tell governors Ferguson and Kotek this is no time for austerity budgets, but instead we need to tax our region's immense wealth to provide a safety net for Cascadia's workers. Oh, and don't buy Starbucks until the corporation gives its striking baristas a fair deal – which Real Change notes would cost the company about $80 million, equal to just four months of salary for its CEO!
Shop at BIPOC-owned and local merchants for the holidays
As you're contemplating holiday purchases, the South Seattle Emerald has a great guide to businesses owned by people of color, and other independent, locally owned businesses in Seattle's south end. The Portland Mercury also has a great holiday gift guide to supporting local businesses and artists. And don't forget to support Indigenous artists in Seattle by shopping at the Duwamish Longhouse's December Art Market from 10 am - 5 pm Friday, December 19.
Thanks for reading! --Andrew
