Wet winter storm brings river flooding, mudslides, a bit of snow
By Associated Press and KATU.comPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A winter storm left many northwestern Oregon roadways under water or blocked by mud and rocks Friday. A mudslide destroyed a Lake Oswego home, injuring five people, none seriously. The storm brought high winds and heavy rain, just over 3 inches east of Portland and 3.9 inches in Aurora south of the city. In an upscale development in Lake Oswego, mud flowed into a house set against a steep incline. Fire officials said the mud flowed downhill, across a road and then down again into the house. Family members called 911 about 1 a.m. to say they were trapped inside, with mud filling the first floor. Gert Zoutendijk, Lake Oswego deputy fire marshal, said family members scrambled out a window. They were taken to a hospital, but Zoutendijk said their lives were not in danger. Authorities said 21 nearby homes were evacuated. In Clackamas County, about 30 families in the Carver Road Mobile Home Ranch were evacuated to a church for shelter, and about 60 roads were closed. County officials declared a state of emergency and told residents to stay home if they could. Gov. Kulongoski declared a state of emergency for Clackamas County on Friday. In Sandy, buildings at an industrial park were damaged by floodwaters. The city closed a water main, leaving some without water service. Damage to an optic fiber line caused phone and cell phone outages. The city's 911 service was out for a time, but put back online on a limited basis. The National Weather Service said it expected the Willamette River between Oregon City to Lake Oswego to rise slightly above its banks for a few hours on Friday. State and local officials reported numerous streets and roads closed, or constricted by high water and mudslides. Mud and trees piled up 2 feet deep and up to 100 yards long on U.S. 26 east of Sandy on Thursday, and the highway remained closed Friday morning. The historic Columbia River Highway was closed by slides between the Vista House and Multnomah Falls. The state Department of Transportation reported numerous other closings, including one lane of Interstate 205 south of Portland. Tillamook County opened a shelter at the fairgrounds and warned residents and businesses in flood areas to evacuate. The National Weather Service predicted minor flooding from several Coast Range streams: the Nehalem, the Wilson, the Trask, the Nestucca and the Siletz. In Vernonia, where some victims of a December 2007 flood are still living in FEMA trailers, city officials were alerting people where shelters could be found. "Anytime there's a flood warning that comes out, everybody gets a little nervous," Police Chief Michael Kay said. "Our main is goal was to be as prepared as possible, so if it did start to flood we could immediately start helping our residents." On Thursday, high winds were reported in Central Oregon. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office got scores of calls because of wind damage on Thursday. Scott Jordan, who lives east of Bend, told KTVZ-TV he saw a "twisting, dust-devil looking cloud" take down four of his big trees. "I hit the deck until it passed over me," he said. Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort shut down Thursday afternoon because of a power outage. The lifts could have run on backup power, but electricity was spotty in the lodges. "Without steady power in the lodges it was a better call sending people home to watch football," said an announcement on its Web site.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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