Routine storm caused non-routine damage

Published 8:47 am Thursday, December 19, 2024

By Jeff Clemens

If you ask most residents, they will admit the windstorm between Dec. 17 and 18 was a bit of a surprise. Just a month ago, the area was expected to be brushed by a bomb cyclone, which proved to be uneventful.

The National Weather Service in Portland and the Pacific County Emergency Management Agency (PCEMA) provided early warnings that the storm could pack a punch. Winds were expected to be sustained up to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph, but the duration of the winds was unexpected.

The storm hit in the late afternoon and oddly battered the north county region with some force for nearly 12 straight hours. At one point, all major roads leading into the county were affected by downed trees, debris, or water over the roadway.

The Astoria Megler Bridge recorded a max wind gust of 80 mph around 1 a.m. and another gust just below 80 mph at around 2 a.m. on Dec. 18.

Agencies, including the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Pacific County PUD, Washington State Patrol, Pacific County Public Works Department, and Washington State Department of Transportation, were overrun with calls about downed power lines, trees, and debris.

At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Dec. 17, a tree went across the roadway between milepost 6 and 7 on State Route 105, blocking both lanes. Pacific County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Lucas Marthaller responded to the call.

Shoalwater Bay Police Department Officer Sarah Boggs was headed home and got stuck because of a tree. The Observer responded to the scene to cover the incident and used a chainsaw to clear the roadway of the tree, which was trapping travelers in a dangerous area.

The Observer cut the tree while Marthaller used a high-powered flashlight to watch for additional falling trees. Boggs helped pull pieces of the tree off the roadway.

The roadway was cleared in minutes, and by the time everyone got moving, another tree had been reported down at State Route 6, approximately a quarter mile from Gailey’s Grocery.

Additional trees were reported down at milepost 44 on US 101 near Bruceport.

Marthaller and the Observer responded to the call on State Route 6 and cleared the roadway within approximately ten minutes. The roadway remained closed for roughly another 30 minutes while a worker from PUD responded to remove a line from the road, which turned out to be cable or internet.

According to travelers stuck on US 101, they were stuck for over an hour and a half waiting for help until a group of men rolled up in a truck. The men pulled out some chainsaws and cut up the tree, then used their lifted truck to pull it out of the road.

PCSO Chief Civil Deputy Hollie Billeci, the agency’s public information officer, praised the hard work of deputies and others who were cleaning up debris from the storm and restoring power.

“I’m grateful that there were no deaths or major injuries due to all of the trees falling,” Billeci said. “Good job to DPW and everyone else that helped clear our roads, the PUD for ensuring short power outages, and the PCEMA for keeping us informed.”

Pacific County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott McDougall believes this storm is another reminder of the wild weather of the Pacific Northwest and a lesson to be learned.

“We have had a couple of fairly routine storms that have caused a non-routine amount of damage,” McDougall said. “This needs to be a reminder to people that in our area, preparedness is vital.”