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.”
We’ve had snow every day for the last 2 weeks. My driveway is blocked by a 7 ft bank of snow from the snowplow. I’m trying to figure out how to get out of here to vote tomorrow!
“And before it runs off, the snow will absorb the water and weigh 5X more than it does now.”
When I was about 7 and my sister was 8, she asked my grandmother to make some snow ice creak about two days after it had snowed.
Grandma said the snow was too dirty, my sister asked her whether she couldn’t just wash it first.
Well, good to know. Wish they could bring in some big “haulers” to get as much of that snow out of there that they could get.
Down here (NC) we used those haulers to take out downed trees after Hurricane Fran. People were trapped on their streets from all the debris from that storm. I’ll never forget the caravan of big dump trucks taking the loads of trees out to this piece of land nearby and dumping it all there....and then I believe they burned it all. That went on for months.
Oregon obviously doesn’t have the luxury of that much time. Hope they get help soon. With their loads of snow. Brrrrr - I just shiver looking at those pictures!
Wow! Please keep us posted on your situation. And I hope you do get out to vote....I know if there is any way possible, you will.
That sounds like a good solution to me - except for the reported mountainous roads around there. Ugh. Doesn’t sound good at all for the people of Oregon.
Hope some more Oregon Freepers will report in with updates.
Is my reason Global Warming??? Nahhh, Its because of the Winter Olympics in B.C. Murphy’s Law says they will be using their snow making machines. That will be a damn shame too, because Whistler/Blackcombe is one beautiful place to ski when they have good snow.
My daughter already misses skiing there this year.
Wow ... I went through there this last summer ... beautiful country. And there’s a nice mountain lake close by there as well.
That would just increase the rate of roof collapses - the melt will pool under the snow (especially low-slope roofs), and slowly penetrate inside - you need a nice slow melt off (oh, sorry - global warming - I guess it will be fast!)
That, or get to shoveling snow off roof and away from house, though, with 7 feet on the ground - (1) you won't need a ladder and (2) it'll be hard to figure out where to throw it!
Good thing it's Feb - if a real HARD freeze came along and started the ice dam process - those resident will be in real trouble!
It's not all bad - here on the Coast, with the exception of one huge windstorm in early December, it hasn't been too bad. Lot of rain, of course, but we actually get some beautiful sunshine once in a while (don't blink, though, or you'll miss it ;-). Of course, winter's not over yet...
Damn that global warming.
Glad it’s not bad on the coast.....hope the interior warms up soon.
Oregon Town Buried Under 7 Feet Of Snow
Town Runs Out Of Money For Snow Removal
A tiny town in western Oregon is trapped under more than seven feet of snow.
Covered rooftops, buried street signs and downed power lines have the city of 200 "on edge," said Idanha Mayor Karen Clark.
"As long as you have the snow piling up to the roofs, and no place for it to go, then that's when their ceilings and roofs are going to cave in on these people," Clark said.
Southern Oregon highways closed
Sections of Oregon Highways 138-East and Highway 62, and the entire stretch of Oregon Highway 230 will remain closed through Tuesday, as downed trees and large amounts of snowfall have made the highways impassable.
Conditions worsened Saturday night as two feet of new snow fell in the Diamond Lake area. Snow along Oregon 138-East now exceeds 15 feet in height in some areas.
Looks like the Mayor was able to get a video of the situation. My guess is there are probably going to be lots of small mountain towns in the Northwest in this type of situation.
Yup. Mine is so steep that it takes proper scaffolding to access it. I'm not worried about snow load. The house is very energy efficient.
Fremont County Declares A Disaster
By: Megan Boatwright
Like many other counties in northern Idaho, Fremont County declared a disaster today. Snowfalls have been higher than normal, and the county says their resources are being used to the maximum extent possible.
Snow is piling so high on the roofs of people's homes and other public buildings that they could collapse. Not from the weight of snow, but the ice it turns into.
Keith Richey with Emergency Management says he is working closely with Idaho Homeland Security in response to the disaster, and the county is asking people to be aware of the dangers.
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