21 January 2011

PNW Flooding

As I have mentioned, the PNW has been hit by a lot of rain this year; that combined with with a large snowpack in the mountains followed by a warm streak with lots of additional rain means flooding and other problems.

We are now looking at forecasts for drier weather (YEA) but needless to say some damage has been done. The area (mountains, valley, coast) has had a number of landslides, a sinkhole, downed trees, flooding, road closures and other problems related to the weather. This is true in both Washington and Oregon.

Here is a video of the flooding along the Sandy River near Zig Zag (Lolo Pass Road, Mt Hood, Oregon). It makes me sad to see the destruction and in awe at the same time. It also makes me wonder what my family and I would do if faced with something that knocked out our water, power, telephone and our road to the nearest supplies. I know I've made some preparation in this area, but what if it was for a prolonged time?

What would you do for water and food?
Do you have another way to prepare hot food?
Could you keep warm without electricity or gas?
Are you prepared for a natural disaster?
Do you have a neighborhood plan in place?

Link to video:
http://vimeo.com/18921387
Video: By Tyler Malay & Alexandra Erickson.

Be safe & be at peace,
AImee

5 comments:

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

The rain did pour and our rivers and creeks were high. There's one close to us. We were at friends on Sunday evening for Bible Study that are right close to a creek and I told Bill, not real name, that he needed to get out his life raft, ex Navy man. We all laughed. I watched to video....amazing. I saw a bit of it on the news. Water is beautiful but can be devastating at the same time. Thanks for sharing.

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

We've been fortunate in my part of Oregon...no flooding or anything like that. No snow either, though :( :(..just lots of fog and rain. Hmm..I was living in Ashland back in 1997 and I remember right after New Year's Day there was a flood that took out the city's water main. The entire city without water for a whole week, unless you had your own well...plus some of the creeks went from 4 feet wide to 100 feet wide...lots of damange...but it was like pin points of damage all over the city!! I've told my dad that we need to work on an emergency plan now...just in case, we were without water/food for a few days!!! Love and hugs from ORegon, Heather :)

aimee said...

Grandma Becky,
You are most welcome! I'm glad the waters are receding for now! I remember seeing some of the flooding in Clackamas Co in 1996--the Willamette Falls; I could hardly believe how high the river was-it made the falls look much different then they do normally!

I'm glad your friend won't have to use a raft:)

I'm glad you enjoyed the video--it is amazing (and sad).

Blessings for your Sunday,
Aimee

aimee said...

Heather,
I am glad your area was not affected! I don't recall hearing about Ashland's flooding--did it affect the Lithia Park/ Shakespearean Theater area? I have always LOVED that area and Jacksonville! Next time down there I am going to try to see the Applegate area too--think I might have been there a long time ago but don't remember it.

Red Cross I believe has some emergency plan info on their website and your town/county might also. We have a fair supply of fresh water, lots of blankets, a BBQ with extra fuel and are building up a bit of a pantry again. Good luck with your preparations!

Blessings!
Aimee

aimee said...

Grandma Becky,
Glad you were not badly affected by the flooding!
Aimee

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...