As most of you know, we are in the midst of a huge snow and ice storm. The biggest since the 1960s. It started out Saturday night the 13th and has only gotten more intense. After two days of being stuck at my house on the OHSU hill, I called my mom and Scott and asked if they could come get me in Scott's truck. They did, and I was able to go back up and get my car off the hill on Thursday. The road to my house, Sam Jackson Parkway, was sanded and graveled, so it was easy getting down. I figured OHSU would maintain their roads because they are a hospital and people HAVE to get up that hill. It was the streets past the hospital that were worse, and my street had chunks of ice on it and layers of snow. My car was parallel parked on a hill, so I was worried about getting it out. But I was able to get it out, Scott shoveled the snow away from my tires and made it easier for me. Bless his heart.
When I got my car that day, I grabbed all my clothes because I was supposed to leave the next day to go to Coos Bay to see my dad and hear him play music with his band. It was my plan to leave that day and not come back until after the New Year.
Yeah..... right.
Friday morning, Scott went with me to my storage unit so I could grab my studded tires, and we drove to Les Schwab and they put them on in just under an hour. It was nice not to have to wait for hours and stand in line forever. I am thankful for that. I also picked up some chains to go over them, just in case, because I was going to be traveling so far south by myself.
I waited for the snow to stop that day, and it never did. And it hasn't stopped still. I missed my dad's concert, and I missed his worship sets that he played at church this whole weekend. Today is Monday the 22nd... 3 days before Christmas. I haven't gotten the stuff to make my Christmas presents and I probably won't be able to. All of my stamps and Christmas cards are at my house. At first this made me sad, but then I realized that if I can't even see my family, I can't give them cards and gifts anyway.
It's not gotten above 25 degrees at the airport, it's not gotten above 19 degrees here in Gresham. The city of Gresham is in a declared state of emergency because emergency responders cannot get to homes and people who are calling 911. They are asking for county assistance with equipment and vehicles that can plow and get to people's homes. The current responders are having huge delayed response times because they have to drive fire trucks with chains on them, then hike into people homes and walk from far away. As a TIP dispatcher and volunteer, we have essentially no one that can respond to our normal calls, but we are still somehow responding and making it to some calls, and helping some clients via phone.
Boring, Happy Valley and most of Clackamas County has gotten pummeled with 15 inches of snow in 24 hours. Cars are covered. Snow drifts are up to 7 feet. People can't open their doors, like here at Scott's house. He had to shovel snow away to take the dog out. There has been 13 inches of new snow in 24 hours in East Multnomah county, where I'm at. The east winds from the Columbia River Gorge are freezing everything in East County, and the snow won't stop long enough for city workers to plow.
I-5 at Wilsonville is closed. Highways to the coast are closed. I-84 from Fairview/Wood Village all the way to Hood River is closed. The roads all the way to Salem are dangerous. Power outages for thousands of customers are happening because of ice on tree limbs, which break and fall on power lines.
They just aired a press conference on TV where a spokesman from the Portland Bureau of Transportation said the following:
52 plows are out today
96 trucks total (plowers + de-icers) are out today
150,000 dollars a day has been spent since Saturday's snow
Calcium-magnesium acetate (liquid) truck shipments are being waited on
36 routes maintained, 1300 miles, 4000 streets in Portland (that is awesome)
12 road closures in Portland
Airlines cancelled flights for two days in a row
Portland Bureau of Transportation & Sam Adams announced chains are sold out in the city
Only 1700 gallons of de-icer left
I didn't really buy into the drama that the news was presenting, until I listened to this press conference. And until I went outside yesterday and walked down the street and over to Glisan Street, which is the nearest main road from here. Unless you are able and willing to shovel snow for at least an hour, you can't even leave your driveway in your car. Some of the main roads and highways are driveable, but the problem here in east county is GETTING OUT. When we tell you that we are snowed in, we aren't exaggerating.
I am going to go bundle up again, put my mom's rubber boots on, and go play with the dog in the snow. Even though it's up to my hips, it is my only sanity! Sage can't even run in the cul-de-sac anymore, ha. She tries, and then stops and walks. I can't even open the front door without being blasted in the face by snow and biting wind. However, I am thankful not to be at my house where there is no food and no possibility of even walking down the sidewalk. And as crazy as it is, this 6-foot snow is BEAUTIFUL! This won't happen again for probably another 30 years, so we better enjoy it!
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and don't travel unless you absolutely HAVE to. Enjoy the snow, internet privileges, warm fires, heat, and the family that is around you.
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