Vernonia Largely Cut Off from Society by Storm by: torridjoe Tue Dec 04, 2007 at 12:17:19 PM PST

I don't typically consider Vernonia and greater Columbia County as "the boonies" or particularly isolated, given its relative proximity to the Portland area. But being a beaver's throw to metropolitan civilization hasn't saved the city from being essentially cut off in the wake of this weekend's storms: Vernonia, which has about 2,200 residents, had been largely cut off by landslides that blocked roads into the community, but Guard trucks with high clearance were able to get in late Monday and more were being sent, Braibish said. Still, communications were difficult. "There are no phone lines or land lines available in Vernonia," said Hyla Ridenour, spokeswoman for Columbia River Fire and Rescue in nearby St. Helens. The storm that hit Monday smacked the region with hurricane-force winds and several inches of rain, and was blamed for five deaths in Oregon and Washington state. It came only a day after another severe system moved through Sunday. The CNN article goes on to discuss the flooding and loss of life across the Northwest; it was indeed a pretty major weather event. The local stations have good coverage of the happenings, of course--other than a murder, rape or fire, there's nothing easier than a story about bad weather: Nearly 200 people were known to be in shelters the Red Cross is running or helping run, about 100 of them in two shelters in the Coast Range town of Vernonia. The Oregon National Guard loaded Red Cross supplies Monday night into trucks for delivery there.       Vernonia is virtually cut off to most vehicles because of slides and high water, preventing people from leaving, and much of the town is flooded, Abby Kershaw of Oregon Emergency Management said Monday night. Tuesday morning, Highway 47 was reopened allowing supplies and personnel to enter the town. The governor has declared a state of emergency; his website also has some good links to safety information and road monitoring.  Best wishes of safety, warmth and dryness to all those affected by the storm. Looks like the worst is over; now the cleanup begins.

torridjoe :: Vernonia Largely Cut Off from Society by Storm

Tags: Nehalem River, Vernonia, weather, storms, flooding, (All Tags)

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