Posted on 02/04/2008 4:42:28 AM PST by justa-hairyape
In Idahna, Ore., there is so much snow, residents' roofs are starting to collapse. The mayor has requested that Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski declare the area a state of emergency and send help.
Eighteen inches of snow fell in the last 24 hours on top to 6 feet of snow already there, Idahna Mayor Karen Clark said Sunday.
There is literally nowhere to put the snow.
"We have buildings with snow on them in danger of collapsing. Snow around doors in danger of bursting, some homes have already sustained damage," Clark said.
The town does not have the resources to deal with so much snow, according to the mayor.
Oregon State Corrections sent inmates in to help, but they need heavy equipment to get the snow off of road ways and homes.
“We are out of room and snow plowing money so are in danger of having to suspend snow plowing of the streets. Our citizens have now become in imminent danger as a result. We are also concerned about the citizens of Marion County that are out of our city limits and we are unable to help," Clark said.
"We are asking the Governor of Oregon for an immediate Declaration of State of Emergency and the National Guard to come in with heavy equipment.”
These snow fall levels are so great that drifts form up against the structure and up over the house. Also, I saw images of nice slanted roofs with over 5 feet of snow on them.
Well - yes - understand the snow plowing problem and the money problem.
But for heaven’s sake - look at the effort put together for Katrina! We will just have to put together, as a nation, an effort for the people of Oregon and get military equipment and manpower and money out there asap.
It’s these kind of emergencies that call for massive help, IMHO. And I am NOT pro-spending taxpayers money for most “emergencies”. But this one, IMHO, requires that kind of help.
Where is that New Orleans General? Oh, yes, he retired and is now on the speaking circuit. Too bad.
Am sure you are right re: the state government agencies. What is the Oregon state government like? Liberal dominated?
Once again, then, President Bush will be blamed if help doesn’t arrive soon.
Hopefully the bureaucratic wonks and wonkettes in the Federal emergency agencies can get off their collective duffs and start getting emergency help to this region - NOW.
America always helps its own who are in distress. I think people just do know understand the magnitude of the damage/danger there now.
That would be an innovative start.
Maybe appeals need to go out to the major trucking (dump truck) companies nearby for help now - pay later.
People will help if they know how critical is the need!
13 degress in Reno at 5:26am.
Take a look here and decide for yourself how much above normal is the snowfall.
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/cgibin/site-wygraph.pl?state=ID
They should have a mutual assistance program in place where the resources of other cities and counties can be allocated by the Governor to where they are needed in an emergency. Cities would be reimbursed for the use of their equipment.
The state should have a separate fund for this type of emergency. I don’t know if they do have such a fund. I would suspect that they do not as it is Oregon where many worship at the god of government.
Not meant to impugn Oregon Freepers in any way.
You’ll have a good laugh reading this story from last Fridays Seatle Times. With our WA Cascades at over 160% of normal this had to be the bad-timing story of the decade...
SHRINKING SNOWPACK A THREAT TO THE WEST
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004157490_warmwater01.html
Human-caused global warming has been shrinking the snowpack across the mountain ranges of the West for five decades, suggesting the region’s long battle for water will only worsen, according to a computer analysis released Thursday.
As temperatures have increased, more winter precipitation has fallen as rain instead of snow, and the snow is melting sooner, according to the report in the journal Science.
The result is that rivers are flowing faster in the spring, raising the risk of flooding, and slower in the summer, increasing the risk of drought.
“These trends will only intensify over the next few decades,” said Richard Seager, a scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
While the decline of the Western snowpack over the past few decades has been documented before, the new study is the most definitive in assigning the blame to human-induced climate change.
The changes will be felt differently in different parts of the West, scientists said.
excerpt
I take that as a drama que.
The snow will keep the bodies preserved making identification easier in the Spring.
If they are built right, yes. The problem is you do not get to test the roof with this much weight very often. And any deficiencies (termites, fungis, loose support, rotted wood etc) could cause structural collapse. In the Greater Los Angeles area we can even loose roofs from rain.
sorry that was about Idaho? Aren’t we talking about Oregon? I am not a resident there. So I certainly don’t know how unusual is this snow coverage - just hearing what others have posted about it. Seems serious to me. The people in China have been suffering similarly. I know if I were buried in snow, I would want help to get me out and/or to get supplies and heat in. This is a time for neighbor (others in the counry) to help neighbor.
You should tighten them down.
Actually, the area will experience massive flooding when all this snow melts. If the melt occurs quickly, it will be catastrophic. Not drama, just reality after reading an article talking about that very subject. Will dig up a link for ya.
The problem is all kinds of logistics come into play not the least of which is snow plows are designed to move snow to the side. But, when you get that much snow down inside man made canyons (Streets between buildings and houses) you can only move so much snow to the side. Then of course you have to move snow "out" and that requires waaay more man power and worse you got to have someplace to dump it.
Then there is the added problem of cars left behind in those streets some of which no doubt got covered up by snow plows. In the Blizzard of 77-78 here in southern Ohio in our small town of 6000 people we had 20 plus cars totaled when the the National Guard brought in Bulldozers to dig our town out (We were literally cut off for several days because the snow obliterated all the roads in and out of our valley.) The snow removal took several days with most of the time spent Hauling the snow to deserted areas to dump it.
IT happened again to our town circa 1996 but this time the Mayor was a little more savy and early on had our own city workers moving snow out of the streets (They would push it to the intersections and front-end loaders and dump trucks were used to dump the snow in the outlying areas.) The National Guard still had to clear our passes to the highways but it was cleared in less than a day.
The Problem now up there in Oregon is I am sure they are too far behind the curve to move that much snow (I Imagine they would spend days now just getting a path to move snow away from the population centers.) You need many many bulldozers and trucks to get ahead of that curve now.
They are gonna need National Guard and Reserves and possibly active duty Military units to achieve that much snow removal.
I hope they get help soon!
Probably true. Oregonians, like us North Carolinians, suffer at the hands of liberlisimos running the state government. Not a good situation under any circumstances, but especially under crisis circumstances.
Here we have a bad drought situation.
Our local Democratic mayor’s solution? Add a 50% surcharge to citizens’ water bill!!!!
Let’s see, maybe the Governor of Oregon needs to add an emergency tax on heating oil/natural gas so the people of that state will unselfishly sacrifice their warmth for the “good of the people.” Yeah, that’s the answer!
That red curve is going almost straight up on some of those locations in Orgeon. Used ID=OR.
Whoops, this site is better, uses a map for those of us unfamiliar with the names.
http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/maps/oregon_sitemap.html
for reference:
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