Tsunami concerns-Crescent City, CA (Redding: house, college, earthquake)

[Nature'sCathedral]

I appreciate the information from both of you. It helps a lot. I knew there had to be people who had factored this in, and figured out what they wanted to do about it.

Also, Snow, thanks for the link to the flyer. You seem to know so much about wherever you live! I've noticed that from seeing your posts on Redding, and now on Crescent City. In your own way, you become a one-person PR agency for your current city.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by Nature'sCathedral

I appreciate the information from both of you. It helps a lot. I knew there had to be people who had factored this in, and figured out what they wanted to do about it.

Also, Snow, thanks for the link to the flyer. You seem to know so much about wherever you live! I've noticed that from seeing your posts on Redding, and now on Crescent City. In your own way, you become a one-person PR agency for your current city.

LOL, well, I don't always promote them as working for everyone, but I am kind of a research-aholic.

Getting ready to move back to civilization, though. Lots to love about Crescent City, but I miss having more to do that requires my mind to engage. Starting to get on waiting lists again closer to the SF Bay Area. It will probably take at least a year, more likely two before I can move. Miss my friends down there, too.

In the meantime, the sun actually came out yesterday and I grabbed my dog and headed for the beach. Timed it perfectly for a couple hours before the fog came back. Back to torrential rain today.

[TheDragonslayer]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

LOL, well, I don't always promote them as working for everyone, but I am kind of a research-aholic.

Getting ready to move back to civilization, though. Lots to love about Crescent City, but I miss having more to do that requires my mind to engage. Starting to get on waiting lists again closer to the SF Bay Area. It will probably take at least a year, more likely two before I can move. Miss my friends down there, too.

In the meantime, the sun actually came out yesterday and I grabbed my dog and headed for the beach. Timed it perfectly for a couple hours before the fog came back. Back to torrential rain today.

I am the same way, that was how I found city data, I was researching the town I now live in. I am actually a book worm, am constantly reading and my subject is subject to change at any moment. I grew up in Pittsburg in the 60's and 70's, moved to Berkeley in 82 and lived there and Oakland till 1992. I lost all my yards that I maintained in the Oakland hills fire of 91, moved up here the next February of 92. I have more friends up here now then I did down south. I just have some family down in the Bay area and so does my spouse, but my life is up here and there is no going back to the masses.

[Nature'sCathedral]

Snow and Dragonslayer, I can see that you two are well-read and know a lot. It's great that you contribute as much as you do to these discussions, because you are both articulate and knowledgeable.

I know you're both from the Bay Area. I lived most of my life in the East Bay, but also lived off and on in San Francisco. Dragon, I remember those fires in the Oakland hills! So sorry for your losses then. But your enthusiasm for McKinleyville is contagious.
Snow, I hear you about wanting more options than beautiful Crescent City has to offer. I think that factor is also putting me off from giving CC further consideration. But still, the tsunami information from both of you is great to know about.

Snow, how do you go about getting on waiting lists for senior housing? Do you go to each location in person to fill out their forms, or what?
Also, I've noticed in some of your posts that you've mentioned living in a great number of locations over the course of the years. How do you afford the moving costs (or have you so greatly pared down your lifestyle that you can fit everything in your truck?)

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by Nature'sCathedral

Snow, how do you go about getting on waiting lists for senior housing? Do you go to each location in person to fill out their forms, or what?

Also, I've noticed in some of your posts that you've mentioned living in a great number of locations over the course of the years. How do you afford the moving costs (or have you so greatly pared down your lifestyle that you can fit everything in your truck?)

Getting on waiting lists: I go to the housing authority website for the city and county in an area I'm interested in. Then, look for a list of their affordable housing. Then, you pretty much have to call them all to see if you would qualify to live there. If you're 62, you'd qualify for any place listed as senior housing. If you're not, the age might be 55+. If you're disabled, some places will take you if you're disabled, but not yet 62, even if their limit is 62 years. Anyway, it's a lot of calling.

Then, if you'd qualify, you ask them to mail or email you the application. You fill them out and mail them. It's basically a numbers game.

Some places give priority to people already living in their city or county. This is also true if you're trying to get a Section 8 voucher. To get a voucher, you need to look for a city or county that has an open waiting list, that is not a long wait. Then, you move there, and eventually (one year or less) you would be able to port the voucher somewhere else.

The other way to get a Section 8 voucher - the easiest way - is to get on a waiting list for a Section 8 Based Project property. These are usually renovated hotels in old downtown areas. If you can get into one of those, you get Section 8 prices for rent, and after you've lived there for a year, you have a voucher you can port anywhere. But, these are usually right downtown, with no parking, and nowhere to take your dog outside, so they wouldn't work for me.

It takes time and perseverance, and usually a willingness to move somewhere you'd rather not live for at least a year. It's a pain, as you also have transfer to a new doctor, get Social Security in the loop so your medical gets transferred, etc.

As far as affording to move: I'm good at saving up moving money. I also only have a studio's worth of stuff. But, I always budget at least $1,000 for the actual move (movers, truck, etc.). Then you also need the money for whatever the deposit will be.

Then, since SSI limits how much cash you can have on hand, it means using my credit at a high interest for cash advances. Then, I pay off the credit in big chunks every month.

I started out with a long-term plan to move back to the SF Bay Area, but also gave both Redding and Crescent City an honest try to see if I would want to stay there forever, knowing in the back of my mind that if I didn't, my plan to move back was still in place.

My next move will get me back to the SF Bay Area nearer to friends, but still won't be my ideal place. I'm on the waiting lists for a couple places I'd love to live, but their waiting lists are several years long. But, I can move there in the next year, then wait to move again if I want to.

And I hate to move LOL. I was in the same place in Santa Clara for 10 years and would have loved to stay in Santa Clara, but wanted to quit my resident manager job, and to do that, I had to give up my housing - and I couldn't afford other housing there. So, hence my adventure to secure cheap housing began......

It's not for the faint - or impatient - of heart.

[Nature'sCathedral]

Thanks for that thorough and detailed answer, Snow. It lets me benefit from your legwork.

You must make friends really easily. Is there a specific way you start to connect with the locals (even despite knowing you may move after a year)?

[sacreole]

I visited Crescent City on business last November. The office where my colleague and I had our meeting was in a house located on Lighthouse Way along the oceanfront. Before the meeting started, our host gave us a tsunami briefing on how and where to evacuate in the event of strong shaking. We were told to walk up B Street all the way to 9th Street, which lays outside of the tsunami zone. Quite different from the duck and cover exercises at school when I was growing up in Los Angeles.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by Nature'sCathedral

Thanks for that thorough and detailed answer, Snow. It lets me benefit from your legwork.

You must make friends really easily. Is there a specific way you start to connect with the locals (even despite knowing you may move after a year)?

You're quiet welcome. Well, actually, I'm not very social. I'm more of a drive-by chatter. I chat with my neighbors and people wherever I go, but I'm not one to easily make friends. I have some very good, old friends in the SF Bay Area, though, and it will be nice to get together with them in person instead of just over the phone.

My preferred social outlet, other than time with good friends, is to take classes or go on group day tours. Unfortunately, there isn't anything along those lines up here at all. There's a college that teaches degree-oriented classes, but there are no adult education classes like crafts, etc., at all. In Redding, though, I went at least twice a week to the free kayak tours on Whiskeytown Lake. If I'd have stayed, I would have volunteered with the kayak group, which is through the Forest Service.

I do volunteer here in Crescent City. I found the perfect volunteer job for me, where I don't have to deal with the politics of volunteer groups - I pick up food from a restaurant in town and deliver the food to the food bank 3 days a week. I tried joining a few other volunteer groups, but found their group dynamics either unfriendly or annoying ha ha. I've never been much of a joiner. Can't stand the politics of organized groups.

That's far too much information LOL. Enough about me...

Originally Posted by sacreole

I visited Crescent City on business last November. The office where my colleague and I had our meeting was in a house located on Lighthouse Way along the oceanfront. Before the meeting started, our host gave us a tsunami briefing on how and where to evacuate in the event of strong shaking. We were told to walk up B Street all the way to 9th Street, which lays outside of the tsunami zone. Quite different from the duck and cover exercises at school when I was growing up in Los Angeles.

LOL, yeah, the tsunami zone isn't very big. If you're downtown or next to the harbor or along the coast, you basically just head away from either coast. I'm downtown and I'm supposed to also head up to 9th to the elementary school there.

The fairgrounds are also in the tsunami zone because apparently the creek next to the fairgrounds that empties into the ocean, is a path from the ocean, if the waters rose severely.

[Hawk J]

NoMoreSnowForMe, sometime you might like to take a kayak over to Lake Selmac, or maybe they rent them there. They rent small boats, i know.....

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=lake+selmac+oregon

It's a beautiful, small lake. Sometimes i've seen eagles & osprey nesting there.

There is some pretty good fishing...there are camping areas. It's quite warmer by the lake in the summer, especially.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by Hawk J

NoMoreSnowForMe, sometime you might like to take a kayak over to Lake Selmac, or maybe they rent them there. They rent small boats, i know.....

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=lake+selmac+oregon

It's a beautiful, small lake. Sometimes i've seen eagles & osprey nesting there.

There is some pretty good fishing...there are camping areas. It's quite warmer by the lake in the summer, especially.

I've never been there and it's not that far away. Sounds wonderful! Thank you.