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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2021)
VOLUME 42, NO. 18 FEBRUARY 19, 2021 SECTION A $1.00 Mavericks League hires its coaches PAGE A10 ICE STORM AWES, TESTS KEIZERITESʼ RESOLVE Wheatland Road redux By ERIC A. HOWALD | Of the Keizertimes PAGE A2 s the Keizertimes went to press Wednesday, Feb. 17, roughly 2,800 of city’s households were still without power in the wake of an ice storm that plunged more than 200,000 Oregon homes into darkness four days prior. The ice storm, which began late Thursday, Feb. 11, layered a thin sheet of ice over most trees and branch- es. Cold temperatures continued throughout the day. When thermom- eters dipped again after nightfall the Assistance requests surge in storm’s wake BY MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes It was a stressful and ex- hausting 72-hour period for the fi rst responders at Mari- on County Fire District #1 (MCFD1) and Keizer Fire District (KFD) during what was one of the worst ice storms in state history last weekend. Over a 72-hour period (Feb. 12-14) MCFD1 re- sponded to 234 emergency calls, a 350% increase in their daily average call volume — 79 calls were for emergency medical services (EMS) and 155 calls were for downed trees or power lines. Due to the number of high priority calls, limited on-du- ty staffi ng and a low number of volunteers, dozens of low- er priority calls went unan- swered — fortunately no per- sonnel injuries were reported. “It was absolute craziness, almost controlled chaos. It was an overwhelming number of calls, one after the other. There was no break,” MCFD1 fi re chief Kyle McMann said. “There were instances of wives LEFT: Ice crystals encase the needles of a tree in the Gubser neighborhood. RIGHT: Near the same area, more than half a dozen trees fell across the street. PHOTOS/Eric A. Howald havoc began. Keizer residents were either star- tled out of their slumber by the sound of collapsing trees and branches, or stepped outside Saturday morning to discover the landscape of their neigh- borhood dramatically changed. On the westernmost end of Man- zanita Street Northeast and Woodlawn Court Northeast, neighbors banded together with chainsaws, clippers, rakes and shovels to remove a half-dozen trees that had fallen across the road in the night. Their work began shortly before 7 a.m. and the group had roads cleared by early afternoon. Keizer Public Works Director Bill Lawyer heard about the effort while waiting in line for propane later that day, then ended up on the receiving end of one Jaymar resident’s kindness. (Jaymar intersects with Manzanita Street Northeast.) “We were standing in line when the cashier at the station came out to tell us that their system had just gone down and they could only accept cash,” said Lawyer, who had only $6 Ice age glaze PAGE A3 Please see STORM, Page A7 EMERGENCY RESOURCES WELFARE CHECKS Need assistance checking on someone who is might be in distress? Call 503-588-5108. Additional resource infor- mation available at the number, but no outage updates. LOST FOOD SNAP recipients who lost food as a result of the power outage may be able to have some of their monthly funds restored. Visit the Keizer Department of Human Ser- vices offi ce at 3420 Cherry Avenue, Suite 110, to fi le the proper paperwork. If you can’t make it to the offi ce, call 503-373-0808 to report the loss immediately. You then have 10 days to fi le the appropriate forms. Homeowners insurance policies may also cover some losses. WARMING CENTERS St. Edward Catholic Church, 5303 River Road N., and Salem Evangelical Church are offering daytime warming centers while power outages continue. Salem Evangeli- cal’s site opens at 10 a.m. daily and St. Edward opens at noon. Snacks and device charging are available at both sites. COVID-19 precautions are in place. DEBRIS DISPOSAL Yard debris can be dropped off, at no charge, at the south parking lot of Keizer Little League Park at 5245 Ridge Drive N. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday, Feb. 21. Future hours will be based on need. Behind the Badge PAGE A9 OTHER ASSISTANCE Keizer volunteers armed with chain saws, axes, mobile power packs, and a trailer assembled to support those who are need it. Fill out an assistance request form or volunteer to help at tinyurl.com/kzrice. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Tony Ling heaves storm debris overhead at a disposal location near Keizer Little League Park on Ridge Drive Northeast. Please see SURGE, Page A9 OREGON'S DEALER 1 FORD 8 YEARS RUNNING! 2020 FORD ESCAPE SE AWD # SALE PRICE $ 24,249 * 0%x60 mo. * SALE PRICE $24,249. after MSRP $30,185 minus $2,436 Skyline Discount, $3,000 Retail 3555 River Rd N • (503) 463- 4853 • skylineforddirect.com Bonus Cash, $500 Select “Inventory Cash, plus license, tax, title & doc. fee. One at this price. Subject to prior sale. Stk#6423P, VIN: 1FMCU9G62LUA36717, Art for illustration only. 0% X 60= 24749 TO FINANCE AFTER SKYLINE DISCOUNT -3000 REBATE, Must finance with FMCC OAC, FORMER COURTESY UNIT. Offer ends 3/1/2021. PLUS $ 3000 ON ALL 2020 ESCAPES