Story Published: Dec 22, 2008 at 9:24 PM PDT

Story Updated: Dec 22, 2008 at 9:24 PM PDT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — City buses got stuck in snow, parts of major highways were closed, and traffic slowed to crawl as Portland and the rest of Western Oregon — which rarely gets a significant snowstorm — struggled Monday to cope with one of its worst in years.

Wintry weather that had begun more than a week ago built to a crescendo over the weekend with high winds and heavy snow.

"We are hanging in there," said Portland's mayor-elect, Sam Adams. He said he was worried about running short of street deicer before a shipment arrives and about people venturing on holiday travel without adequate tires or emergency equipment.

"That's my biggest concern right now is people taking chances because everyone gets a little stir crazy," he said.

He said the city was using $150,000 a day to dig out. "We'll worry about the budget later, but this is going to be a big hole," he said.

Gresham, a Portland suburb, got more than a foot of snow — so much that fire trucks and other emergency vehicles were having difficulty making it to their destinations. The Oregon National Guard announced late Monday it would provide three Humvees to assist Gresham police on patrols and three more to help firefighters and paramedics.

Gresham's mayor, Shane Bemis, declared an emergency because of the piles of snow combined with icy roads and told people to stay home.

Among the storm-related victims were two Gresham people who died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a truck they were using to keep warm or trying to heat up, police said.

Later Monday, Multnomah County issued its own declaration of emergency to the state. The county said that Gresham, Troutdale and Wood Village needed additional resources to deal with the storm. Specifically, the declaration requests assistance in clearing roadways to medical clinics and transporting medical professionals in hard-to-reach areas. The declaration lasts until Jan. 5 so that the county can quickly ask for other resources if the need arises.

About a foot of snow fell onto downtown Portland. Fire trucks were transporting homeless people to shelters where they could warm up. Stores remained open, and some seemed to be doing a brisk business from people doing last-minute Christmas shopping.

Thousands of people left their cars at home. Those who dared to go to work or to venture out for errands rode the bus or Portland's light-rail train. But even the buses, equipped with tire chains, were having trouble making it along the streets. Adams said it was running only 24 of its 120 routes, although that accounted for about three-quarters of the riders.

The light rail was also having delays.

A city spokeswoman warned residents not to expect much change.

"What we see on our streets today we are likely to see on Christmas Day," said Cheryl Kuck of the city department of transportation.

The National Weather Service said the storm may wind up among the top 10 storms measured in the Portland area since records have been kept, beginning in 1880.

The snow depth in downtown Portland fell short of monster snowfalls of 31.8 inches in 1893, 27.9 inches in 1916, and 22.3 inches in 1884. But as it began to taper off Monday, it was approaching the 13-inch depths of the ninth and 10th storms, in 1890 and 1956.

It ranked as the biggest December snowstorm since 1968, and the biggest winter storm since January 1980 in the downtown measurements, the weather service said.

Portland General Electric said about 63,000 of its customers were without power heading into Monday evening. Pacific Power said more than 5,000 of its customers were without electricity.

With high winds in the Columbia Gorge able to whip vehicles across a slick highway, Interstate 84 east of Portland was shut down for a third day, and state officials said it wouldn't reopen "anytime soon."

Big trucks whose travel plans were thwarted clogged a frontage road at an exit east of the city, and the Department of Transportation said some had to be moved or drivers would be ticketed.

Traffic inched along Interstate 5, the main north-south highway through Western Oregon.

State highways through the northern edge of the Coast Range were closed.

Amtrak service was canceled or delayed.

The Greyhound bus terminal in Portland was closed, stranding scores of people.

Hundreds of arrivals and departures were canceled at Portland International Airport, but some flights were getting out. About 200 people spent the night at the airport Saturday, 300 on Sunday.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air resumed flying in Seattle and Portland, but with reduced schedules.

"Our operational decisions will continue to be guided by our commitment to safety," said Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines' chief operating officer.

Snow began falling on Saturday, and the storm intensified on Sunday and through the night.

So Monday was the third day of hunkering down in Portland, a city that rarely sees such heavy snowfall and whose officials have insisted that buying bigger fleets of snowplows and other storm equipment isn't wise for such rare events.

The storm taxed emergency workers.

"Calling about broken pipes, power outages, and road conditions are not appropriate use of 911 or our emergency crews," Bemis, the Gresham mayor, said in a statement. "If you want to help, please just stay home and stay off the roads." The city said only vehicles with chains were allowed on the streets.

The state government shut down its agency offices in Portland but kept Salem buildings open, telling workers to use their best judgment about traveling to work.