Oregonians await power, dig out from storms

TILLAMOOK, Ore. – Thousands of Oregonians began shoveling mud and drying rugs Tuesday after the biggest storms in a decade blew through.

In the northwest corner of the state, utility crews were struggling to restore power, and telephone communications were still spotty.

Pacific Power said that nearly 36,000 of its customers were still in the dark, but power was being restored in Lincoln City and its surrounding county.

“We’re looking for significant progress through the night,” said utility spokesman Tom Gauntt.

Nearly 700 Oregonians were reported in shelters, but storm victims were putting things back together.

In Tillamook, for example, only one couple was in a shelter at the county fairgrounds at midday Tuesday as the weather turned better. Storms Sunday and Monday dumped as much as 10 inches of rain and blew at gusts of more than 100 mph in a few places.

Crews were beginning to get highways clear. U.S. 101 had reopened along the coast by noon Tuesday, and highway and utility crews assessed damage.

Oregon Department of Transportation spokeswoman Christine Miles said a sinkhole on U.S. 26 could pose a difficulty for days, as might trees still standing, but barely.

Pacific Power said about 36,000 customers along the coast, in Clatsop County and the Lincoln City area remained without power, largely because of damage to Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines, and it could be a couple of days before it is substantially restored.

Two Oregon deaths were reported, both in Tillamook County, one reported by medical personnel as a heart attack victim, the other a driver swept away by floodwaters.

Hardest hit was the timber town of Vernonia and its 2,200 residents in Columbia County.

The National Guard plowed heavy trucks through high water to deliver supplies, generators and inflatable rafts. It used the Zodiac rafts to rescue Vernonians from what was estimated at 3 to 5 feet of water.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski flew to the town in an Air National Guard helicopter.

He said the town was surprised by the flood – it was expecting mostly a wind storm – and the shock of seeing water rise 5 feet so quickly was evident.

At Vernonia, the Nehalem River and its tributary Rock Creek were receding Tuesday, and the town was beginning to dry out.

That was the case elsewhere as streams flowing from the Coast Range into the Pacific were still above flood stage, but falling, said Tiffani Brown, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.