January 24, 2024
Page 5
Dedication
Helped Portland
Weather a Storm
Public
servants
cleared roads
and trees
More than a week of wind,
snow and ice hit the Portland
area hard to start 2024. Thou-
sands of people lost power, and
many are dealing with stressful,
severe property damage. Trag-
ically, at least a dozen people
in our community died – losses
that will stay with us forever.
The thaw is here, and the City
of Portland wants to thank the
thousands of intrepid workers and
volunteers who braved difficult
winter conditions to provide aid,
make repairs and maintain crucial
infrastructure. As our community
recovers, the work continues.
For more than a week, Port-
land Bureau of Transportation
crews worked around the clock
to treat and clear thoroughfares
so first responders and public
transit could serve the communi-
ty. Now crews are shifting to the
recovery phase: monitoring road
closures, assisting with debris
cleanup after trees are removed
from the roadway, and more.
If you are biking, watch for
sand and gravel on snow routes
- a necessity for keeping emer-
gency routes navigable for first
responders during winter weath-
er. Gravel cleanup will com-
mence after emergency opera-
tions conclude.
As snow and ice melt, Port-
landers will start seeing potholes,
which form when water freezes
and expands under the pavement,
compromising its strength. Once
PBOT moves out of the recov-
ery phase, crews will start filling
them. Help the bureau get a head
start by identifying and reporting
potholes at 503-823-1700, pdx-
roads@portlandoregon.gov, or
pdxreporter.org.
Every day, the Portland Water
Bureau keeps water flowing from
our water sources to your tap,
maintaining reservoirs, pumps and
2,000+ miles of water pipes and
monitoring water quality. From
Jan. 13 to 20, their team repaired
20 main breaks and responded to
more than 4,100 calls, dispatch-
ing staff to assist with hundreds of
emergency water shutoffs.
Over 600 reports of downed
trees and large branches in one
week kept Portland Parks &
Recreation’s Urban Forestry
crews busy. The team worked
around the clock to clear major Water Bureau employee searches for the source of a broken water line (Photo courtesy of City of
roads and ensure neighborhood Portland)
access. In the coming weeks,
their focus will shift to storm
damage in and around Port-
More than a week of wind, snow and
land’s parks.
ice hit the Portland area hard to start 2024.
Throughout the winter weath-
Thousands of people lost power, and many
er, Environmental Services
are dealing with stressful, severe property
responded to multiple emer-
damage. Tragically, at least a dozen people
gencies, made repairs and min-
in our community died – losses that will
imized the impact of power
stay with us forever.
outages and other disruptions
The thaw is here, and the City of Port-
on essential wastewater and
land wants to thank the thousands of in-
storm water services. After a
trepid workers and volunteers who braved
truck struck a power pole and
difficult winter conditions to provide aid,
knocked out power to the City’s
make repairs and maintain crucial infra-
main wastewater treatment plant
structure. As our community recovers, the
for several hours, crews oper-
work continues.
ated backup systems and found
For more than a week, Portland Bureau
solutions to keep core systems
of Transportation crews worked around
To report security concerns while riding,
intact. They also made emergen-
the clock to treat and clear thoroughfares
Continued on Page 9
cy repairs to a frozen intake pipe
-238-7433
text or call
so 503
first responders
and (RIDE
public ). transit could
at the City’s largest wastewater
pump station, preventing sew-
We’ll respond 24/7.
age from overflowing into the
Willamette River.
The customer service team
at 311 fielded more than 700
calls on the busiest day of the
storm, about triple their usual
volume – sharing information
about shelter locations and
transportation, power outag-
es, water and parking enforce-
ment. The most popular topic
was falling trees, which gen-
erated nearly 1,000 calls the
week of Jan. 13-20.
Thousands of community
members received vital infor-
mation during the storm, thanks
to a partnership among the
Portland Bureau of Emergency
Management, Community Orga-
nizations Active in Disasters (a
national model) and communi-
ty-based organizations who rep-
resent and serve multicultural
and multilingual communities.
Topics included carbon monox-
ide poisoning, avoiding frozen
pipes, accessing state benefits
during a power outage, winter
weather shelter locations, calls
for volunteers to staff shelters
and more.
Property owners dealing with
storm damage turned to the Bu-
reau of Development Services
for timely repair information.
Road conditions during the
Because Every
Moment Matters
Our commitment to
safety never stops.
trimet.org
Continued on Page 5