Special Report: One year after the flood

NEAR BRIGHTWOOD, Ore. - It was one year ago that floodwaters raced down the Sandy River below Mount Hood, and while those waters are long gone, the impact remains.

The view from Jim and Amy Monroe's window might make you envious, until you realize what they have been through.

"A year ago seems like three years ago," said Jim. "So many things have gone on in that length of time."

The Monroe's retirement dream home along the Sandy River was sliced in two last November, most of it swept downstream.

"You could see the water level above the car," said Jim. "The water in the river was higher than the land."

"I just couldn't believe it," said Amy. "We'd been there 19 years."

John Borge, a Clackamas County Principal Planner, has been trying to understand sometimes unpredictable rivers for the past 29 years. Outdated federal flood maps are one of his few tools.

"Our FEMA maps are dated 1989 right now and so it does go back a considerable distance," he said. "One of the things that makes it tough for rivers like this is the circumstances in 1989 were considerably different than they are today."

Rivers can certainly wreak havoc.  Catastrophic floods below Mount Hood include a debris flow last year that inundated Highway 35. Back in 1996, a flow cascaded across all four lanes of Interstate 84 and in 1964, an aerial sling was the only way to get to washed-out homes on the Zig Zag River.

The Monroes believed a specially-built dike protected their property, so last year they canceled their flood insurance. But months later, the dike failed and what the river did not sweep away, burglars stole.

The Monroes were homeless, and Amy's mom, who had been living with them, fell ill and then passed away.

"I guess it was just the stress and the loss - she lost everything too," said Jim. "And the total loss of everything - I think she just kind of gave up."

Rebuilding on the land that was left would not be easy or cheap.

To deal with the force of the Sandy River now directed right at their property, the Monroes have spent the last several months building a temporary dike at a cost of about $12,500. They sold trees on their property to come up with the money to do it. A permanent fix will cost another $50,000.

Things started looking up when a friend loaned them money for a trailer, but then Amy was diagnosed with bone cancer.

"For the whole time - working, working, working. But now that Amy's been diagnosed with this cancer, it's not priority number one anymore. She's priority number one now," said Jim.

The Monroes, who have been married almost 49 years, said they do not worry about what they have lost.

"We can always rebuild," said Jim. "We can always pick up and start it over and everything. But what can you do if you're gone? You have to put it in perspective and say 'well, this isn't so bad, you know?' We can get through this. And we are, we're getting through it."

Despite everything that has happened to the Monroes in the past year, there is some good news. Since Amy started treatment for her bone cancer, her tumor count has dropped and her blood platelet count is up, which are both good signs. The Monroes also hope their rebuilding plan will qualify for variances to put a home back on what's left of their property.