Flood washes out family's driveway, making it difficult to get places
NEAR OREGON CITY, Ore. - First she battled cancer and now a Clackamas County woman is struggling to get back and forth to her home.
January’s floods wiped out Stacy Younger’s driveway and she’s having a tough time finding a solution.
Potter Creek now flows through the chasm that used to be the driveway. The Younger family was shocked to see the damage on New Year’s Day because the driveway held up for more than 40 years, even surviving the 1996 floods.
The cost for a permanent fix: somewhere around $75,000, according to Stacy’s husband, Jay Younger. Right now, the only way to their house is across a bridge, through a very understanding neighbor’s yard and then uphill on a long driveway that leads to their home. They make this trip every day with their young children. The walk is especially hard on Stacy.
“Just last year I finished some chemotherapy for ovarian cancer and it caused some nerve damage to my feet, which makes it even harder to get up and down the hill” Stacy said.
To make matters worse, Jay Younger makes his living building furniture in a shop on their property. Times were already tough because of the economy. Now there’s no way to get materials and furniture to and from his shop. The economy may also wash away one of their only hopes, a grant from Oregon’s Watershed Enhancement Board for a permanent replacement bridge.
“We'll know in a month whether we get a grant and they'll cover 75 percent. But we've heard, since the state is in so much trouble, they may pull the funding for that” Jay said.
So for now, Stacy and her family are getting to and from home the only way they can - by hiking.
A fund has been set up to help the Younger family. If you would like to donate, go to any US Bank location and contribute to the Stacy and Jay Younger Bridge Fund.
January’s floods wiped out Stacy Younger’s driveway and she’s having a tough time finding a solution.
Potter Creek now flows through the chasm that used to be the driveway. The Younger family was shocked to see the damage on New Year’s Day because the driveway held up for more than 40 years, even surviving the 1996 floods.
The cost for a permanent fix: somewhere around $75,000, according to Stacy’s husband, Jay Younger. Right now, the only way to their house is across a bridge, through a very understanding neighbor’s yard and then uphill on a long driveway that leads to their home. They make this trip every day with their young children. The walk is especially hard on Stacy.
“Just last year I finished some chemotherapy for ovarian cancer and it caused some nerve damage to my feet, which makes it even harder to get up and down the hill” Stacy said.
To make matters worse, Jay Younger makes his living building furniture in a shop on their property. Times were already tough because of the economy. Now there’s no way to get materials and furniture to and from his shop. The economy may also wash away one of their only hopes, a grant from Oregon’s Watershed Enhancement Board for a permanent replacement bridge.
“We'll know in a month whether we get a grant and they'll cover 75 percent. But we've heard, since the state is in so much trouble, they may pull the funding for that” Jay said.
So for now, Stacy and her family are getting to and from home the only way they can - by hiking.
A fund has been set up to help the Younger family. If you would like to donate, go to any US Bank location and contribute to the Stacy and Jay Younger Bridge Fund.