More than 100,000 Oregon homes and businesses were still without electricity on Monday morning, as the National Weather Service warned of more challenging conditions to come.
A wind advisory is in effect for the Portland metro area through 10 a.m. Tuesday, and the National Weather Service warned that more trees could fall, prompting further power failures. Snow and sleet are expected to arrive just as the highest winds die down on Tuesday, contributing further to already hazardous conditions, according to forecasts.
The weather agency also issued a winter storm watch for the Coast Range of northwest and central Oregon, warning that fresh ice accumulation, especially on the east side of mountain crests, could down trees and lead to new power outages through the day on Tuesday.
A tree fell across a car at Southwest Taylor Street near 90th Avenue in Portland, as seen on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2024.
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Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A fallen tree on Noreast Everett near 23rd, on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
/ OPB
A tree fell near Southeast Eighth Avenue and Miller Street in Sellwood, and left several people without power on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2024.
/ OPB
A fallen tree near Laurelhurst Park in Northeast Portland on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
Nick Warren / OPB
Crews with Davey Tree work to clear fallen trees near the intersection of Northwest Lee Street and Northwest Flotoma Drive in Portland on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
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Crews with Davey Tree work to clear fallen trees near the intersection of Northwest Lee Street and Northwest Flotoma Drive in Portland on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Trees fell near Northwest Lee and Northwest 104th in Portland. This photo was taken on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Utility workers in in Portland on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Crews work to clear downed power lines across Cedar Hills Boulevard at Ridge Avenue in Beaverton on Jan. 14, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Crews work to clear downed power lines across Cedar Hills Boulevard at Ridge Avenue in Beaverton on Jan. 14, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
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Crews work to clear downed power lines across Cedar Hills Boulevard at Ridge Avenue in Beaverton on Jan. 14, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A bus on Southeast 52nd Avenue just north of Holgate in Portland, Ore. Trimet buses were all equipped with chains on Jan. 14, 2024.
Julie Sabatier / OPB
A view of the downtown Portland waterfront on Jan. 14, 2024.
Prakruti Bhatt / OPB
A view of the downtown Portland waterfront on Jan. 14, 2024.
Prakruti Bhatt / OPB
Snowy scenes from south Salem, Ore., on Jan. 14, 2024.
Natalie Pate / OPB
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Snowy scenes from south Salem, Ore., on Jan. 14, 2024.
Natalie Pate / OPB
A sheen of ice covered the Deschutes River in Bend on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
/ OPB
Since extreme cold spread across much of Oregon on Friday, hundreds of downed trees have been reported across the state. At least four people may have died of weather-related causes. And more than 1,000 power company employees have been engaged in the effort to restore electricity.
For a time, more than 200,000 locations were without power across the state. Portland General Electric and Pacific Power have warned that some of their customers could face prolonged outages.
Nearly every Oregon highway has been affected by challenging conditions over the past few days, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation, which encouraged drivers to limit travel, and to expect delays and bring emergency supplies when taking to the road.
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At least four deaths may be tied to cold, falling trees
The Multnomah County medical examiner’s office said on Sunday it is investigating two suspected hypothermia deaths in Portland. One person died Friday in inner Northeast Portland and the other died Saturday in Portland’s 97217 zip code, officials said on Sunday. Both people who died are male, and confirmation on each cause of death will take weeks or months, the county said in a press release. No other details were released.
Separately, Portland Fire & Rescue said a person died after a tree fell, hitting an RV, a power pole and a transformer, which affected their ability to help. Firefighters struggled to respond as they worked around downed electrical wires and found the nearest hydrant was not working, likely due to ice. Three people escaped the RV alive, but a fourth, a woman in her early 30s, was trapped by the fallen RV and died inside. A fire investigator determined the people in the RV were using an open flame stove to keep warm when the tree fell, causing the RV to catch fire.
And in Lake Oswego, a tree crashed through the second floor of a house in the Southwood neighborhood, killing an older man who was inside, according to officials there.
Numerous houses, power lines damaged by trees
Topher Sinkinson was eating breakfast at his Southeast Portland home Saturday when a tree crashed into his roof, sending piles of insulation into his house.
The fallen tree landed on live power lines operated by Portland General Electric, and Sinkinson said the power lines must be removed before crews can remove the tree.
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“I think with the power lines being against the house and being in the tree the way that they are, it’s a little scary for us to be here,” he said.
Topher Sinkinson reported that a tree crashed through his roof, but he could not remove it until Portland General Electric addressed power lines that were also knocked down.
courtesy of Topher Sinkinson
As of Sunday afternoon, Sinkinson said, he still could not reach PGE, and the tree remained on top of the house.
Lisa Tadewaldt, an arborist with Urban Forest Pro in Portland, told OPB that her business has been flooded with calls from people who had trees crash into their homes. It could be days before some trees are removed.
“The amount of trees on houses, it’s the most it’s ever been,” Tadewaldt said. “I don’t know what the insurance claim numbers are going to be, but they’re going to be high. It’s going to be insane.”
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City officials from Newport reported that a tree fell on a homeless camp, injuring at least one person, on Saturday. The coastal community saw reports of multiple additional injuries reported due to downed trees, and numerous streets blocked off by downed power lines.
Fallen trees have also hampered emergency response efforts, blocking roads and threatening police and fire crews as they work. While crews were responding to the fallen tree that killed a Lake Oswego man on Saturday, another tree fell onto a vehicle just two doors down, city officials said.
“Today, we have had at least around 20 different trees fall onto homes, which is very rare. I have never seen this many in my 25-year career here at Lake Oswego Fire,” Lake Oswego Fire Marshall Gert Zoutendijk said on Saturday.
The cold weather also strained Portland’s sewer system. The city’s largest pump station is only partially operating due to a frozen pipe, the Bureau of Environmental Services said in a press release sent Sunday.
Power failures have also affected the city’s main treatment plant and some of Portland’s 99 other pump stations.
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Portland’s largest sewage pump station, which serves downtown and the surrounding inner city, was under partial service due to a frozen pipe on Jan. 15, 2024. Officials said there was no public impact.
Courtesy of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
A backup generator near East Burnside and 105th Avenue froze on Saturday, sending sewage into about a dozen homes.
Officials said they hope to have repairs to the city’s biggest pump station complete by Tuesday night. If they don’t succeed, the city may have to ask residents to limit flushing and dishwashing — but officials don’t expect that will be necessary.
Warming shelters stay open, some school and event cancellations announced
With temperatures likely to remain below freezing in much of Northwest Oregon until Wednesday, and the threat of high winds and additional precipitation, officials have started to extend warming shelter hours and to announce cancellations for Monday and Tuesday.
Salem-Keizer Schools will be closed on Tuesday, and several smaller districts have also canceled classes.
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Multnomah County officials extended their shelter resources through at least 8 p.m. Monday, and Clackamas County staff said shelters there will stay open until at least Tuesday.
In Lincoln County, where one in five utility customers did not have electricity on Monday morning, several temporary warming shelters are in place, including one in Newport that officials said will stay open until power is restored.
Several Martin Luther King Jr. Day-related gatherings were canceled, including SOLVE’s Day of Service celebration and the racial justice group Don’t Shoot Portland’s annual Reclaim MLK March.
A number of transit agencies have reported cancelations or delays, including Oregon’s largest, the Portland metro area’s Trimet, which suspended all rail service due to weather conditions and said some buses have had to re-route because of road conditions.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The 100 Oregon National Guard troops who were federalized under Title 10, have begun demobilization activities, according to Governor Kotek’s office and U.S. Northern Command.
CONTINUING COVERAGE | Oregon National Guard troops deployed under Title 10 orders
“All Title 10 troops in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago are conducting demobilizing activities. They will return to their home units once their demobilization is complete,” U.S. Northern Command stated on their website.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek released a statement reading in part, “The citizen-soldiers of the Oregon National Guard are our neighbors, friends, and family. These courageous Oregonians deserve certainty and respect. While I am relieved that all our troops will finally return home, it does not make up for the personal sacrifices of more than 100 days, including holidays, spent in limbo.”
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The troops will travel to Fort Bliss, Texas to finish their demobilization before returning home to Oregon.
Oregon troops spent a majority of their time training at Camp Rilea on the Oregon Coast.
Read Governor Kotek’s full statement below:
“The citizen-soldiers of the Oregon National Guard are our neighbors, friends, and family. These courageous Oregonians deserve certainty and respect. While I am relieved that all our troops will finally return home, it does not make up for the personal sacrifices of more than 100 days, including holidays, spent in limbo.
“During this crisis, Oregonians stood united against the unwanted, unneeded, unconstitutional military intervention in our state, with thousands peacefully voicing their opposition to the Trump Administration’s abuse of power.
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“President Trump’s disregard for the facts on the ground revealed that he is more focused on provoking a fight in cities and states that don’t share his politics than serving the American people. I remain committed to defending our values and the rule of law.”
The court injunction that prevents guard deployment in Oregon remains in effect and on appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
(UPDATE: added videos and quotes from Todd Mcgee, Owner of Powderhouse)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — With snow already piling onto the mountains, more people are flocking to Central Oregon. With businesses seeing more people now than ever before this season.
Todd Mcgee, owner of Powderhouse told KTVZ News, “It’s a lot more in the fact if you think about it, was Christmas break where we should be slammed? we’re as busy or even busier then on a Monday than we were on christmas, you know, weekend. so it’s a huge, significant amount.”
Ski and snowboard rentals tell you much about how busy of a time it is.
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The busier the rental shops, the busier the mountains are.
“A ton more season leases. and the nice thing about our rentals, when they’re coming back, they’re looking in good shape,” Mcgee told KTVZ News. “We’re not having to stay late and tune them and P-TEX them and get them all back looking nice.”
Powderhouse still has its day and a half turnaround to have equipment ready to go.
Iif you’re still looking to rent equipment, now’s the time to do it.
Gary Danielson just retired from calling college football games for decades, including this season’s Indiana at Oregon matchup on Oct. 11.
The Hoosiers (14-0) handed the then-No. 3 Ducks their only loss, 30-20, on the way to the nation’s No. 1 ranking heading into their Peach Bowl game Friday.
Danielson, who played quarterback at Purdue from 1970-72 before an 11-year NFL career, believes Oregon will be more focused for this game.
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The Ducks came into the matchup off an idle week after a double-overtime win over then-No. 3 Penn State at State College, Pennsylvania. Danielson sensed they were still basking in the glow of that win.
“I think Oregon will be very focused for this football game,” he said Monday on the “Dan Patrick Show.” “When Indiana beat them in Oregon, which is a tough place to play, Oregon was coming off their celebration for beating Penn State. Honestly, when we did our interviews, I was struck that they couldn’t get off the Penn State story. … They seemed to not take IU seriously. They’ll take them seriously for this game.”
Though IU made the College Football Playoff last season, some believed the Hoosiers were a one-year wonder, Danielson said.
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“They were considered a fraud from their 2024 finish,” he said. “They weren’t frauds, but they weren’t ready for the big-time stage yet. I thought they were focused this year,” especially on defense.
The Hoosiers lost at Notre Dame in the first-round of last season’s CFP.
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