GREAT COASTAL GALE OF 2007
ChinookObserver.com
December 2017 // Page 5
News team rose to the occasion
The Daily Astorian
missed one edition,
printed Saturday,
got the word out
By PATRICK WEBB
For The Daily Astorian
I
our front-line attack in Astoria, with
taking an early-evening dinner break
Pamela Robel doing terrific solo work in
with reporters at The Labor Temple.
Seaside, and Sandra Swain pitching in.
Page designs were copied onto computer
Each morning, Robel and I would text
disks. The first day Crindalyn Lyster, our
back and forth, discussing strategy for
online editor, ferried them to Longview
covering South County.
where they were printed and the papers
Hansen has vivid memories. “One
trucked back to Astoria. A similar pattern
image that has always stuck with me
followed with other drivers, all risking
was watching a Dumpster rolling like a
treacherous conditions on Highway 30,
bale of hay past the Maritime Museum.
awash in water and downed timber.
But also court happening by candlelight
Lyster and Laura Sellers, director of
and work happening by flashlight,” she
audience development, posted stories
recalled.
on our website from Longview hotels.
Profita had similar memories. “I
This provided a valuable service to wor-
ried relatives of coast residents scattered
remember standing outside the county’s
all over the United States. “We were
emergency operations center in the rain,
told later by some readers that dailyas-
waiting for the public information offi-
cer to come out of a meeting of officials
torian.com was the only way they could
and give the paper a discouraging update
keep up with what was happening on the
when there was no power, no highway
coast,” Sellers said.
access to town, increasingly bare shelves
Ham radio operators augmented the
at the grocery stores, lines of people with
work of the National Guard,, and other
gas cans at the Shell station and reports
true heroes included Pacific Power line-
men and Clatsop County road crews.
of stolen generators,” she said.
For up to five days, 22,000 were with-
Our challenge was twofold: Find a
out electricity.
way to print a newspaper without elec-
tricity and regularly update our website.
Coast Community Radio performed
Monday’s planned print edition was
superb work, even when a tree crashed
history; our backup generators could
on its studio roof, prompting a story
power a couple of computers, but not
headlined, “It’s a bloody miracle we’re
the printing press or platemaking device.
still on the air” by our versatile sports-
writer Gary Henley.
Forrester decided to call the Daily News
Each afternoon I
publisher in Longview.
joined KMUN gen-
They arranged to
eral manager Dave
print our paper on
Hammock for a half-
Tuesday — and for
hour chat show to
however many days
relay updates. We both
were needed. Readers
intuitively kept the
might find that odd,
tone positive. Asto-
considering we are
ria Mayor Willis Van
independently owned
Dusen did similar
private-sector com-
petitors, but it was an
on-air work, reassur-
ing constituents with
excellent gesture by
an impromptu charm
the Longview paper’s
that even his critics
management.
admitted was timely
For Bruijn, one
and terrific.
early challenge was
The storm touched
designing
narrower
our Daily Astorian
graphic page templates
Laura Sellers
Director of audience development
family. It was heart-
to fit Longview’s
breaking to report
presses. For me, and
when carrier Peggy Crom’s house at
copy editor colleague Max Charlton, it
Woodson was picked up by a mudslide
meant pages we had already designed
and washed onto Highway 30.
were too wide. We settled into a daily
Meanwhile, back at the office, one of
pattern. Reporters would gather the news
the most rewarding sights in my career
during the day, checking in with emer-
gency agencies, compiling human inter-
— people clustered in the dark around
est stories of neighbors helping neigh-
the news rack at 949 Exchange St., wait-
bors, and sharing limited computers
ing for the delivery. Forrester joined
them, thanking them for their loyalty,
plugged into a generator.
With Cody supervising in the day-
also eager to see his paper.
time, Charlton and I began working a
After four days, the power came back
modified swing shift, designing pages,
on.
“We were told later
by some readers
that dailyastorian.
com was the only
way they could
keep up with what
was happening on
the coast.”
FRIDAY | Dec. 7, 2007
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2007
50 CENTS
the limit, despite warnings
The big one hits
50 CENTS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007
rest of
Power restored to Knappa; hope for
county soon
Coast digs out of rubble
2 9 4 6 7
7
T HE D AILY A STORIAN
135th YEAR, No. 113
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2007
50 CENTS
Power on – sometime
Cold weather
looming;
phones still
causing woes
By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian
Page 1
Night temperatures around 38
degrees are expected for Clatsop
County Thursday night, but are
expected to drop to 33 degrees Fri-
day night and to 32 degrees Saturday
night.
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
bore the brunt of the
the North Coast buildings that
during the storm. It was one of
winds leveled much of the building
the Svensen Co-Op as powerful
23,000 residents without power.
A few walls remain standing at
Coast Sunday and Monday, leaving
storm, which hammered the North
ALEX PAJUNAS
Progress slow but steady
sternation throughout the region. When
Knappa was the first to get elec-
the Union 76 gas station opened briefly
tricity back late Tuesday afternoon, – after owners secured a generator to
with some part of the east end of Asto- get the pumps going – a long line of
a
of
ria enjoyed power for the first time
cars disrupted traffic on the east end
Clatsop County officials are seeing
little later. Pacific Power said Seaside,
station
slow but steady progress toward clear- Warrenton and Cannon Beach were all Astoria as word spread. The by the
as
later closed – to be replaced
ing roads and restoring power lines
likely to get power back some time
drew long
crews work around the clock to recov- Wednesday, but it was not clear when Safeway gas station, which
hit
desperate for gas. It
er from Sunday’s mega-storm that
would be back lines of motorists
Astoria
of
remainder
the
Beach
the North Coast and Long
on track.
See STORM, Page 2
Peninsula leaving a swath of property
The shortage of gas caused con-
damage and felled trees in its wake.
By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian
See COUNTY, Page 5
T HE
D AILY A STORIAN
People power sparks recovery
More coast
communities
see the light,
but rain is
on the way
needs.
“These are people who just need help
because we have some climate coming
See COUNTY, Page 7A
Three firefighters reach the third-story
roof of a house fire on the corner
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
cut a hole in the roof in order to
of 12th Street and Irving Avenue
spray down the attic with a penetrating
he thought all the candles had
nozzle. The Larsens went out to Wednesday evening. They proceeded to
been blown out, Reid Larsen believes
get some Chinese food for dinner.
on alert because of the storm,
a candle may have been left burning
Though
the Astoria, Lewis and Clark, and
and started the fire.Already
Police were able to respond quickly
Olney-Walluski Fire Departments
in addition to Medix and Astoria assembled and
to the scene.
and Oregon State
Astoria ramps up its contribution
By SANDRA SWAIN
The Daily Astorian
Astoria City Hall has been closed since
storm hit. And not just because the power the big
is out.
It’s because city employees are needed
related duties, Astoria City Manager for storm-
Paul Benoit
explained.
“We’re going to stay in the EOC (Emergency
Operations Center) mode until we’ve
addressed the
storm issues substantially,” Benoit said.
“Fire, police
to cleanup
and public works will be focused on
this for some commission since the
time. It’s not power that’s keeping us
storm hit, and that has been
from opening Van Dusen’s “biggest
City Hall. We need employees to do
disappointment,” he
other
The test was put together by Fire Chief said.
The employees are prepared for their things.”
Lenard
new
“Paul Benoit has been insisting we have roles. Hansen, Benoit said, and it’s “paying early divi-
communications in case of emergency,” a test of dends.” City staff is performing incredibly well and
Mayor he said he’s pleased they could
Willis Van Dusen said. “Ironically, we
had a test a in such a different format. come together so well
week before the storm. That training
exercise was
That format includes, for example,
so beneficial.”
planning department cooking meals having the
During the test, everyone used cell phones
at the city’s
and 9-
1-1 was working, he said. But 9-1-1 has
been out of
See CITY, Page 10
Coast Guard rescues 111 people
Flood waters
around region
spur calls for
urgent aid
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
From left, Frank Van Winkle, Don
Hillgertner and Charles "Buddy"
Hoell field emergency
calls at the Clatsop County Sheriff's
Office Monday morning.
Full storm coverage,
more photos and
survival tips inside
B
A pair of cork elk trunks lay on
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily
the
day's storm. The trees were listed grounds of the Flavel House, snapping under the winds of Astorian
Mon-
as Oregon Heritage Trees and
tion of the Flavel House.
were planted before the construc-
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
of Monopoly Tues-
Connecticut Avenue during a game
at Tongue
pays the hefty fee for a stay on
28, inside one of the residence halls
From left, Amanda Hanson, 18,
Chad Wallow, 20, and Yakov Shamara,
day with Christopher Nguyen, 19,
photos, Page 5.
Point Job Corps Center. More
ecause of the storm, and the difficulty
of publishing this edition, some regular
features including obituaries, Everyday
ing from this edition. We appreciate readers’ People and the Weather Page are miss-
patience and we hope normal service
is resumed as soon as possible.
Once power is restored, The Daily Astorian
news staff will update the storm
story and offer related features that
you may have missed on the Web site
www.dailyastorian.com
at
Thanks to readers, advertisers and staff
Oregonian Publishing Co.’s sister papers, at The Daily Astorian, and the East
for outstanding cooperation, and for
our newspaper carriers and vendors
for the extra effort involved in getting
this
edition into your hands.
— Patrick Webb
Managing Editor
The Daily Astorian
Tongue Point among hardest hit
By KARA HANSEN
The Daily Astorian
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
store front in downtown Asto-
The neon sign on the Gimre’s Shoes
ria dangles by a few cables Tuesday.
Emerging from a two-day storm
that blasted the North Coast with hur-
ricane-force winds and knocked out
power to the entire county, many local
residents on Tuesday took their first
to
iday break has been bumped up
good look at the aftermath.
Thursday from Dec. 14.
The damage was evident at Tongue
Trees toppled onto buildings,
Point Job Corps Center, the former including houses rented by center staff.
U.S. Navy base on the banks of the One man was nearly crushed as he
lower Columbia River, which suffered slept in bed, said Tongue Point Job
some big blows Sunday and Monday.
The storm also disrupted the lives
See JOB CORPS, Page 5
of Tongue Point students, whose hol-
Looking west toward the old Youngs
Bay Bridge Wednesday, the
ALEX PAJUNAS
lapsed as a result of the storm,
leaving behind stumps resembling green canopy of trees that covers the hills east of Astoria and — The Daily Astorian
Coxcomb Hill col-
toothpicks.
The U.S. Coast Guard base at Air
Station Astoria may be operating on
generators, but crews are still running
search and rescue cases.
Along with the rest of the North
Coast, the base lost power Sunday
night, when a powerful windstorm
blasted through the Pacific Northwest.
Coast Guard communications were
also wiped out.
Meanwhile, water was rising fast in
Tillamook and Nehalem bays. In
Chehalis, Wash., it was brimming the
roofs of houses and cresting the tops
of trailers.
Four flight crews from Air Station
Astoria saved 111 people on missions
that began Monday night and lasted
through Tuesday morning. With addi-
tional Coast Guard crews from Port
Angeles, Wash., local sheriff’s
deputies and Navy planes, 130 people
were rescued in all.
See GUARD, Page 10
Log on
when the
power is
back on:
Latest storm updates:
www.dailyastorian.com
135th YEAR, No. 115
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2007
... and then
there was the
good news
Where were you when the storm
hit?
What examples of people caring
for other people did you encounter?
Those were the questions The
Daily Astorian staff asked North
Coast residents and visitors. We are
eager to hear more (see note at end of
column).
50 CENTS
Hold on, little baby,
help is on the way
Larry Bryant of Astoria called the
newspaper to commend Chris and
Jennifer Holen at the Schooner in
downtown Astoria. Wednesday they
found they had a surplus of tomato
basil soup and black bean soup – so
they gave it away to customers. “It
was just great,” said Bryant.
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
sausage pat-
center, and Sandra McGinnis prepare
who
on the kitchen, Michelle Bright,
the faster, the better,” said Bright,
at Camp Rilea, keeping an eye
pancakes and fruit. “The hotter, Page 3.
With Dan Wilcock, left, a cook
muffins, bacon, eggs, hash browns,
See story,
ties as part of a breakfast including serve more than 310 people Thursday morning at the base.
along with other volunteers, helped
Storm-related Katrina survivors draw comparisons
death toll rises
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
daily, Stefanelli said. They
By KARA HANSEN
last spoke Sunday, before the
The Daily Astorian
brunt of the storm. With the
damage and road clo-
B a c k - t o - b a c k s t o r m s resulting son was unable to
the
claimed at least two lives on sures, Warrenton until Tues-
drive to
the North Coast this week.
he found his moth-
And one woman remained day, when floor.
the
in danger after suffering car- er on likely died early Mon-
She
bon-monoxide poisoning
said Stefanelli, from
because of a barbecue that was day, and striking her head
falling
used indoors.
checking on a window
Clatsop County Medical while
by powerful winds.
Examiner Joann Stefanelli shattered
a 58-year-
Wednesday,
On
declined to release the vic-
Nehalem man died, appar-
tims’ names because she old
from a heart attack,
didn’t have full phone service ently
helping his daughter and
until Wednesday evening and while
in Gearhart clear
wanted to ensure relatives had son-in-law
brush from their yard.
been notified.
The man became unre-
Faulty phone lines and
as he headed out to
blocked roads stemming from sponsive of the debris. His son-
the storms contributed to at dispose drove him to Provi-
in-law
least one of the cases.
Seaside Hospital, where
A 90-year-old woman was dence
were unable to resus-
found dead in her Warrenton doctors him. He was pro-
home Tuesday after her adult citate dead at about 3 p.m.
son drove to check on her nounced
Additional deaths were
from Ilwaco, Wash.
Apparently, the son
See DEATHS, Page 8A
checked in with her at noon
As bad as it got ... it could always be
worse.
Bill and Deborah Armington – two of
all
Astoria’s newest citizens – can tell you
about the “worse.”
The couple – who just closed the deal
–
on their new Astoria home last Friday
went through Hurricane Katrina three years
ago, a tragedy that not only demolished
homes along the Gulf Coast, but ripped
apart entire communities.
After moving from New Orleans to San
Antonio, Texas, the couple recently moved
a third time, bringing them to Astoria.
This week’s devastating storm, needless
to say, brought back memories. And many
of those memories were not pleasant.
“After Katrina, the power was off for
still
some 30 days, and in some places it’s
a
off,” said Armington, who worked as
neuro-radiologist at Memorial Medical
Center in New Orleans, where the couple
resided.
“In Katrina I was a participant. I was in
the hospital to help maintain the health
and subsequent evacuation of 2,200 peo-
ple. And I had no idea of what was going
We
on around us. I was completely cut off.
no
didn’t hear any national news, we had
SUE CODY — The Dailiy Astorian
storm in
their thoughts on Monday’s wind during
Deborah and Bill Armington share
Quarter
living in New Oreleans’ French
comparison to their experience
The Daily Astorian.
Hurricane Katrina Thursday at
power or anything.”
His wife was 50 miles away during
Katrina, and feared the worst. What news
she did receive was filled with “looting
in
and urban chaos, and she thought I was
the middle of it,” Armington said.
The Armingtons had a home in the
By KARA HANSEN
The Daily Astorian
Thanks for your patience
50 CENTS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2007
135th YEAR, No. 114
EXTRA! EXTRA!
2 0 0 0 1
ES
STORM COVERAGE CONTINU
WITH A SPECIAL EXTRA EDITION
SATURDAY • STORIES, PHOTOS
Power has been restored to many
homes in Astoria and Warrenton just
in time to provide heat through the cold-
est nights of the week.
However, thousands of homes
throughout Clatsop County will be left
in the cold going into the weekend (see
latest update, Page 3A).
Low temperatures of 33 degrees are
forecast for Friday and Saturday nights.
in
Highs for the next two days will be
the low 40s.
Rain showers are expected Tuesday
through Dec. 15 – which is bad news for
those with roof damage.
The Clatsop County Emergency
Operations Center has teamed up with
the U.S. Coast Guard to assist elderly
and disabled residents with home repair
“What this means is more people
will be coming to shelters,” said Clatsop
County Public Information Officer
Andrea Kennet, after a public officials
meeting at the Emergency Operations
Center Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Pacific Power
spokeswoman Sheila Holden said mid-
evening Wednesday that crews trying to
restore power to 22,000 customers on
the North Coast have been hampered by
the terrain, with some key installations
and toppled wires in marshy areas.
Tom Gauntt, also of Pacific Power,
announced late Wednesday that parts of
Warrenton were having power restored
and the next priority would be homes
and businesses served by the Youngs
Bay substation. He had no estimate of
when that would take place.
Some parts of Svensen had power
Wednesday night also.
Crews who have restored power to
more than 11,000 customers in Coos
Bay and Lincoln City will be heading
north to help in the greater Astoria area,
Holden said.
County leaders called Gov. Ted
Kulongoski Wednesday afternoon to
urge him to help the North Coast’s
storm-ravaged counties repair infras-
tructure, communications and emer-
gency response services. The governor
sent a letter to President Bush to declare
Inside: Four pages
of activities
2 9 4 6 7
10:07 AM
Coast Weekend
By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian
The need for electricity on the
North Coast is growing dire as
weather forecasts predict freezing
temperatures this weekend.
Water from Plympton Creek rushes
— The Daily Astorian
under a railroad tressel Monday
port Fire Department. Two excavator's
near the West-
line and clear derbis that had diverted were brought in to demolish part of the rail
the creek waters toward homes
of town.
and other areas
2
GE WITH PHOTOS INSIDE
2 0 0 0 1
2 0 0 0 1
T HE D AILY A STORIAN
135th YEAR, No. 112
FULL NORTH COAST STORM COVERA
2 9 4 6 7
Storm updates:
www.dailyastorian.com
7
12/10/2007
2
7
T HE D AILY A STORIAN
135th YEAR, No. 111
Power and rescue crews stretched to
When the
power is
back on:
7
2 9 4 6 7
2 0 0 0 1
2
Storm updates:
www.dailyastorian.com
SATURDAY | Dec. 8, 2007
2
THURSDAY | Dec. 6, 2007
Patrick Webb was managing editor of
The Daily Astorian from 2001 to 2014.
2 0 0 0 1
WEDNESDAY | Dec. 5, 2007
1 Front Page 12.7
When the
power is
back on:
It began the second phase of cover-
age: the impact of the storm. With our
news team nearing exhaustion, we called
in reinforcements: Two experienced
reporters from our sister paper, the Cap-
ital Press in Salem. Mateusz Perkowski
and Mark Rozin were brilliant.
For the front of the Saturday edition,
Rozin’s poignant image of Ric Mar-
ley feeding his 6-week-old son, Elric,
at Camp Rilea inspired a tabloid-style
headline that harkened to my British
newspaper roots: “Hold on, little baby,
help is on the way.”
Perkowski said, “The thing that stood
out for me is how much everybody
helped each other. There was a definite
sense of unity that was touching.”
As the second week dawned, I
thought we needed to print more pos-
itive news to soothe the community’s
mental health. My intuition was echoed
by Mikaela Norval, director of tour-
ism for the city of Seaside, who called
for the restoration of normal life. By
week three, this strategy was well under
way, although stories featuring a critical
review of the government response were
still front-page news.
I am a work-ahead guy, so this seat-
of-the-pants stuff stretched me, but it was
stimulating, despite
long hours, the cold
STORM FACTS:
office, the risk of
Sustained winds
tripping over gen-
reached 75 mph,
erator cables and
gusting above
irregular meals. In
140 mph
subsequent years,
our newspaper
group shifted to
a central cloud-based computer system
with pages that can be created anywhere
with Wi-Fi access. We presume the
Band-Aid approach to news production
would never be repeated. But if it did, I
am confident Earl and Bruijn would be
up to a similar challenge.
My favorite memories are of people
thanking the paper.
Cherryl Franco of Woodinville,
Washington wrote: “My mother is a
resident of the Extended Care Unit at
Seaside Providence. The information
blackout was hard to deal with. A ham
operator finally contacted me through
St. Vincent’s in Portland to convey my
mother’s safety. I counted on The Daily
Astorian to give me information online
and God bless you for being there. …
You are a part of my lifeline to my Mom.
Thanks so much.”
2 9 4 6 7
TUESDAY | Dec. 4, 2007
THE DAILY ASTORIAN
Reporter Kara Hansen, right, types on a laptop in the darkened Daily Astorian offices during the storm. Deputy Managing Editor
Sue Cody designs a page in the background. Barely seen behind her is reporter Joe Gamm.
7
never liked the name Great Coastal
Gale of 2007. But whatever you
call it, the most spectacular weather
since my move here 20 years ago
was exciting.
As managing editor of The Daily
Astorian, the storm created two weeks
of terrific journalism. We missed one day
of publication, printed an unprecedented
Saturday edition, and demonstrated that
some really do their best work under
pressure.
It reminded me that
putting out a paper is a
team effort. The news
staff did sterling work
in incredible circum-
stances. Their efforts
were enhanced by col-
Patrick Webb leagues from all depart-
ments. Without the eyes
of the circulation and mailroom staff,
we would not have uncovered half the
details we published.
The drama began Sunday night, Dec.
2, 2007. For once, forecasters were
correct.
I had just returned from visiting my
ailing father-in-law in Vancouver, Wash-
ington, and had the foresight to wash my
suitcase full of clothes before I returned
home. As usual for a workaholic editor, I
stopped by the newspaper office to check
messages before driving the final few
miles home to the Long Beach Peninsula.
I would not go there for six days.
The Coast Guard had closed the
Columbia River Bar, reporting 11-foot
swells. Weather forecasters announced,
“Sustained south winds of 45 to 60 mph,
with gusts of 80 to 100 mph are possi-
ble, with the strongest winds expected
on headlands and exposed beaches of the
Oregon Coast.”
I started editing all the unrelated sto-
ries, knowing that by Monday I would
have to focus entirely on the storm. That
lasted until mid-evening when the power
went out. I checked into the Comfort
Suites. I was not going to risk the Asto-
ria Bridge.
What followed was a week of
unscripted drama. We survived by rely-
ing on good neighborliness, not expecting
outside help. Hundreds of trees toppled
power lines. Phones were silenced. Rain
poured and winds blew. Naselle reported
one 147-mph gust. The use of “hurricane
force” was not an exaggeration.
Serious flooding in Vernonia and
Centralia-Chehalis demanded help from
state and federal authorities, plus TV
coverage. We were somewhat forgotten
folks — and U.S. Highways 30 and 26
were blocked with felled trees, so no one
could reach us.
I first called Carl Earl, our operations
expert, who would perform outstand-
ing work, setting up a generator, keep-
ing the office safe, and handling logistics
with calm-headed production manager
John Bruijn. Next, I called our publisher,
Steve Forrester. His rapport with lead-
ers at Pacific Power would prove crucial
in making sure the North Coast was not
forgotten.
Overnight, and in the early hours
of Monday, I worked with my deputy,
Sue Cody, to marshal our reporters. We
reminded our outstanding photographer
Alex Pajunas not to take risks. His image
of a house washing away east of Asto-
ria would become the storm’s signature
photo.
Kara Hansen and Cassandra Prof-
ita, two of the most talented reporters I
supervised in my 38-year career, formed
French Quarter, and a farm north of New
Orleans.
Both properties escaped any serious
the
damage, but the emotional damages to
cities and communities were irreparable.
By KARA HANSEN
The Daily Astorian
Telephone service has been
restored to most Clatsop Coun-
ty residents.
But several hundred Qwest
customers remained without
service Thursday night, and
additional CenturyTel cus-
tomers apparently remained
offline in Jewell.
According to the county, 9-
1-1 services also were still
patchy.
As of Thursday, Westport
and Warrenton were the only
communities with full 9-1-1
service, according to County
Clerk Nicole Williams. Resi-
dents of those cities can quit
calling local fire departments’
business lines for help.
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
port side Thursday.
But the emergency lines
rests, partially submerged on its
boat docked in the Warrenton Marina, free from its tie-up lines and began listing to starboard
may not be fully functional,
The Capt. E.V. Nielsen, a fishing
broke
boat
the
differ-
a
in
Pinkstaff,
sank
she cautioned, and anyone who
to Warrenton Harbormaster Keith
a section of dock. A fishing boat
According
around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, damaging
hazardous materials.
before it mysteriously rolled over ago and the U.S. Coast Guard cleaned up and removed any
ent Warrenton Marina slip a month
See KATRINA, Page 5A
Phone service is
restored, but some
problems remain
can’t get through to 9-1-1
should still try local emergen-
cy offices.
The emergency phone lines
were knocked out Sunday
along with landlines and cell
phone services up and down
the coast.
Most phone service came
back online Wednesday
evening. Until then, county res-
idents could only dial numbers
within their local communities.
The problem stemmed from
breaks in cables operated by
Qwest Communications Inter-
national – a network of “self-
healing fiberoptic rings” that
carries phone traffic throughout
most of the state.
The system is designed to
instantly reroute voice and data
traffic if a line breaks on one of
its loops. Installed in the past
See PHONES, Page 7A
Former Astoria Mayor Edith
Miller reports that Columbia House,
at the foot of Third Street, was a rock
in the storm. The building’s founda-
tion is on bedrock. “It didn’t move,”
said Miller. “We could see the storm,
but we couldn’t feel it.” Residents of
Columbia House have enjoyed com-
munal meals of chicken soup and
clam chowder in the party room. “I’ve
never seen the (Astoria) community
work together as well as this time,”
said Miller.
The communal meals that fed up to
26 were organized by Mike and
Marian Soderberg, who said the
cooking was done on their propane
stove. Columbia House residents
Mike and Linda Josephson assisted.
Dana Gunderson at the nearby Can-
nery Cafe boiled water for morning
oatmeal, tea and coffee.
The historic Liberty Theater in
downtown Astoria survived. Larry
Bryant said a couple of small upstairs
windows were blown in. The biggest
loss was the cancellation of Christmas
parties for organizations that had
booked the spifffy McTavish Room.
They may be rescheduled. The next
concert won’t be until Dec. 15.
Everyone’s heard “If life hands
you lemons, make lemonade.” But
what if life hands you downed trees?
Make wreaths and garlands.
That’s just what Christina and
Peter Grauff and Chuck and Molly
Albright did when a tree fell on the
home of neighbors Tim and Jeanine
Van De Grift. They gathered greens
and made wreaths and garlands, even
delivering a nice garland for the front
door of their neighbors.
Ric Marley, feeds his 6-week-old
son Elric, as Misty Lesho talks
worried about my son, having
MARK ROZIN — East Oregonian
no electricity or heat, said Lesho. about their stay at Camp Rilea, since they were forced out of
Publishing Group
their home by the recent storm.
These people are great by helping
I was really
with everything, said Marley. See
story, Page 7A.
Power returns for
thousands more
As others were pulling trees off
roofs, Loran and Corleen Mathews
were caught on their hands and knees
in their yard on Seventh Street Tues-
day morning. It appeared they were
the most optimistic people in town as
they tested Christmas lights on a gen-
erator. Everyone was without power.
Truth was, the lights and Christmas
display had been erected before the
storm and they were out repairing it
and spreading some holiday cheer.
The Labor Temple in downtown
Astoria was able to fire up a gas-pow-
ered grill. So Monday night while the
storm was still raging, owners David
and Christina Warner opened their
doors and started serving fish and
chips and hamburgers, as well as cold
sandwiches. The fare was especially
welcome for news staff from The
Daily Astorian and a visiting reporter
from The Oregonian. With cook Sally
Jorgensen, they continued to feed
many thankful souls all week.
Amid all the mayhem, Jane Tuck-
er, the likeable library director for the
Astoria Public library, announced that
patrons would not be charged fines
for overdue books and other materials
until the storm aftermath has calmed
down. Tucker volunteered to help as
public information officer for the city
of Astoria’s emergency operations
center and has been doing a great job.
Once a nurse, always a nurse.
When rain seeped into a clear plastic
tarp that covered a hole in her kitchen
See GOOD NEWS, Page 2A
News changes in the space of a few hours
By JOE GAMM
The Daily Astorian
There had been no dramatic changes
Pacific Power customers without electricity in the number of
for more than 24
LEFT: Jeremy White, of Bend,
pulls the service line to a
house in order to restore power
in one of the neighbor-
hoods in Astoria. “We’ve been
giving
ty to hundreds of customers since back the electrici-
Monday. People are
very appreciative of our work,”
said White.
MARK ROZIN — East Oregonian
Dedicated local radio
hams save county’s bacon
Publishing Group
INSIDE TODAY
By KARA HANSEN
The Daily Astorian
are down, power is out and major high-
ways are blocked, ham radio still works.
Early this week, amateur operators’ sig-
When twin storms hammered the coast
Sunday through Monday with hurricane- nals provided the only route for sending
force winds, snapping tree limbs like messages across or outside Clatsop
County.
twigs and cutting power to thousands
in
“When communications went out, I
Clatsop County, amateur radio operators
didn’t just bolster efforts at the county couldn’t get ahold of anybody,” said Sgt.
Mark Whisler as he worked in the emer-
Emergency Operations Center.
gency center’s communications room
on
They were the heart of the response.
Friday. “It all fell to them.”
“Really, it’s ham radio operators that
As efforts move on from disaster
are the backbone, because we operate
on
power,” said Clatsop County Sheriff Tom response to recovery from ruin, volunteers
can expect to go home soon.
Bergin. “They are a godsend when
it
Since the beginning of the storm, 42
comes to emergencies.”
amateur radio operators have held
When phone service is cut, 9-1-1 lines
See HAMS, Page 2A
hours. But, within a few hours Friday
afternoon, the number
of Pacific Power customers without power
went from 15,000
to 7,500, as the electricity provider fired
up areas in Astoria and
Warrenton.
The news came as local, state and federal
officials urged
President Bush to declare the region a
disaster area. Some offi-
cials say it will take millions of dollars
to pay for the cleanup.
State Sen. Betsy Johnson and U.S.
Rep. David Wu were
among those working Friday to bring
relief
Sen. Ron Wyden planned to visit Vernonia to the area. U.S.
and Tillamook Sat-
urday.
But while the pressure mounts over aid,
the big story was the
See POWER, Page 8A
Years of memories
erased in an instant
By SANDRA SWAIN
The Daily Astorian
Winter Sports
PREVIEWS
Trees. How we love them here in the North-
west. But during storms, they often turn
on us
I was one of the lucky ones this time.
trees looming over my 94-year-old house The
swayed
ominously but didn’t topple and my brand-new
roof survived unscathed.
But my previous house at 25 W. Kensington
Ave., where I lived with my husband
and
children from 1984 to 1995, did not four
fare as
well. A large, sturdy, well-built 1950s-era
home
with a flat roof and 16-foot-high wood-beam
ceilings, its back yard abuts the forest
between
Kensington and Lexington. A huge evergreen
tree was a focal point of back-yard landscaping.
See SIGHTS, Page 2A