Northwest Oregon can have severe weather too

Here we are, nestled in the evening shadow of the beautiful Oregon Coast Range where we get quite a bit of rain, relatively mild summers, and maybe a wintertime dusting of snow if the conditions are just right.  Sure we got inches, upon inches, of rain on a September weekend recently, but for the most part our weather is pretty tame compared to other parts of the country.  Still, wild and crazy weather can happen here.

Damage from the Columbus Day Storm near Newberg

Fifty-one years ago this weekend, a former Pacific Typhoon named Freda was stirring up the waters west of us when she decided to come on shore for a visit.  Weather forecasting in 1962 surely can't match that of 2013, but there was very little warning that this thing was coming in, and for the most part people didn't expect anything beyond a calm autumn day.  By the time the Coast Guard heard radio reports from ships at sea that something big was brewing, the storm was moving at 40 miles per hour and heading our way.  What became known as "The Columbus Day Storm" came in as a 125 mile wide  cyclone, that cut a path of wind swept destruction along 1,000 miles of the Pacific Coast, including our beloved hometown of Forest Grove.  

So, you may ask what is the point?  Well, the point is that things like this can, have, and will, happen to us.  So what do you do to be ready?  A person can go crazy filling their garage with disaster supplies, and hoarding items for the worst case scenario, but we hope that you take some very simple preparatory steps now that can make a difference if and when an emergency of any size, happens later.  

• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers in your home, and work with your kids on memorizing these so that they don't have to depend on the contacts list of a cell phone to look up a phone number.  Be sure and include friends, family, and neighbors, that you trust to help in an emergency.
  
• Have emergency food and water available.  We suggest 72 hours worth of food and water for your family.  Food items should be easy to prepare (don't forget your can opener if canned foods are part of your plan), and can be eaten without heating if needed.   Frozen containers of water kept in your freezer can also help you keep perishable food cold, and also allow for drinking water later.  Bleach and wash tubs are also good ideas to help keep things sanitary.
  
• Simple tools, a spare gasoline can safely stored somewhere, and fuel for your camp stove or barbecue, can make all the difference in getting through a short term emergency.
  
• Paper maps of our area are another good thing to have on hand so when power goes out and cell phone towers go down, you can't rely on the trusty apps on your smart phone.  Being familiar with your community can also help, knowing the back roads, rural routes, and surface street short cuts, will make it much easier for you to evacuate if that call comes in.
  
• How well do you know your neighbors?  Simple things like being aware of who needs a little extra help, can ease the demands on emergency responders during a disaster.
  
• Extra supplies of things for your own special needs.  Do you require a particular medication to function, what about eye glasses, or pet food?  These are things we often overlook when thinking about our family's emergency planning.
   

 Again, we aren't asking you to go out and prepare a safe room or a bomb shelter full of things for the apocalypse; instead we hope that you consider just a little extra of some of the things already in your garage or pantry ahead of the winter storm season.  You never know when you'll need it.