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.”
How do the people of Oregon feel about the Marines and the military at large? Just wondering...
BOISE, Idaho -- Officials in north Idaho's Kootenai County have declared a state of emergency, saying a series of snowstorms has crippled the region's ability to deal with roof collapses, impassible roads, snowed-in senior citizens and other crises.
"The problem is it just keeps coming," Kootenai County Commissioner Rick Currie told The Associated Press shortly after making the emergency declaration this week. "You can only stack the snow so high, and we're running out of places to put it. Our signal lights aren't functioning the way they should. Our lights have been flickering all day. There's a depletion of resources, of manpower, for public and private snow removal."
Across the border in Spokane, Wash., that state's governor, Chris Gregoire, declared a state of emergency Thursday for 15 counties, mostly in snowbound eastern Washington.
"This is certainly the most snow we've had since 1996 or 1997, and if you rank the snowfall from the beginning of the snow season to the present day, you're in the top five to 15 snowfalls -- depending on the region -- of all our records going back to the 1890s," Livingston said.
Snow accumulations in north Idaho have ranged from 4 to 7 feet.
Large numbers of us live in areas where we fully understand that in winter it gets cold and snow falls. Sometimes a lot of it. This is not anything that far out of the ordinary, except for ill-prepared political idiots who think that global warming means now.
They'll survive, maybe update their thinking about ecotopia.
SANDPOINT -- When Idaho National Guard put word out it needed volunteers to help shovel off school roofs in Bonner County, Sgt. Mark Hepinstall immediately put his name on the list.
"I've been deployed to Iraq twice and helped out in the area during 9/11," Hepinstall said. "I've always wanted to come home and help my community."
It was -30f this morning here in Alaska, still somewhat warmer than normal for this time of year, years ago I would see almost -50F, not much snow either, its actually too cold for snow, we have maybe 24” for the season with about 18” still on the ground.
What part of Alaska are you in ? Coastal, Interior, Mountains. North. South. Alaska has such a diverse territory.
State uses helicopter to cause avalanches
SEATTLE, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The Washington state Department of Transportation used a helicopter to drop explosives and trigger avalanches around Snoqualmie Pass for the first time ever.
The move reportedly came because of "unprecedented" snow conditions requiring more aggressive measures to control.
I’m glad I live in Southern California, everytime I see pictures like this.
In conditions like that you do not have to worry about trespassers. But as the Shining portrayed, the trespassers may not be you biggest problem.
Is the drought over? Or are they still clinging to the global warming mantra?
I saw there was 10 feet up on Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle....that is insane...but not a record.
133 percent of average snowpack in the California Sierras also.
Yeah... All they need now is some stupid kid running around town screaming “RED RUM!!”
I am also glad to live in So Cal. The snow level here did get close to 2,000 feet, which put it about 1,000 feet above my elevation. The areas that recently received snow in southern China, have latitudes similar to Miami and the Florida Keys.
I live north of the border in snow country.
This is one serious winter!
If a roof in Los Angeles pools water, it is bad news with 1-2 inch/rain per hour. Usually it is some roofer crew that leaves crap up there before the store that plugs the drain/gutters.
But I do enjoy seeing snow on postcards.
January’s continuous stream of stormy winter weather left behind above-average snowpacks — good news for those watching the water supply, but a mixed-bag for local businesses.
Results from the California Department of Water Resources’ snow survey completed on Jan. 31 near Echo Summit on Highway 50 revealed snowpacks that were more than seven feet deep, or 123 percent above average for this time of year.
There is 75 percent more water in the snowpack this year than there was at the same point last season, the survey said. And across the entire Sierra Nevada the snowpack is 111 percent of average.
Data paints a similar picture for North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. The snowpack is 121 percent and 108 percent above average respectively, according to the Western Regional Climate Center at the Desert Research Institute.
Readings in Tahoe City showed 15 inches of water in the snowpack on Feb. 1, said Dr. Kelly Redmond, a regional climatologist with the research institute. Data taken on same day in 2007 showed only 5 inches.
“We’re sitting pretty good right now,” Redmond said. “But we have had a number of years in the past where it shut off in the spring.”
“Last year was dry to critical for our [snow] runoff,” Lynn said. “One month is good, but we need a good full season to make up for last year’s deficit.”
The Department of Water Resources will be compiling an official report on the projected water supply, based on the snowpack data, at the end of the month, said Lynn.
You might want to get a Snow Emergency thread running for the Northwest. Gonna stay bad for at least a week or two, probably longer. Problems in Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Oregon Cascades, Eastern Oregon and Utah. Snow levels may eventually get to critical levels in the Sierras and Colorado Rockies. National guards being called for in Oregon and Idaho. States of emergency in Idaho and Washington counties. I would imagine that Nor Cal has also gotten hammered.
The snow might impact the voting, but in favor of who I don't know.
Leni
John Moodie works to clear his driveway Monday in Snoqualmie Pass enough to access his garage. His snowblower struggles to throw the snow up the embankment that surrounds his home.
Seattle Times
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