UPDATE: Oregon State Police say a fifth person was killed Tuesday, when a tree fell on I-84 in eastern Multnomah County. The tree struck the passenger side of an eastbound Dodge pickup, killing the passenger, a 20-year-old Baker City woman. The 43-year-old driver was taken to the hospital. The freeway was closed for more than two hours.
PORTLAND, OR -- Clean-up is underway after a massive storm swept across the state Monday night and Tuesday. Strong winds and heavy rains are now blamed for at least four deaths.
According to Oregon State Police, a Prineville man was killed in a Highway 26 crash in Wasco County, just west of the Warm Springs Reservation. Troopers say a tree fell on the cab of an eastbound commercial truck at about 3:30 p.m. The driver, 53-year-old James Lyda, reportedly lost control and the semi left the highway. Lyda was pronounced dead at the scene. A large section of Highway 26 was closed for about three hours.
On the west end of Highway 26, near the coast, three people from Seaside were killed when a large tree fell on the cab of an F-150 pickup. That incident occurred at about 11:40 a.m. near milepost 15 and closed the highway for five hours on Tuesday. The 19-year-old driver and his passengers, aged 41 and four, were all found dead when first responders arrived.
Weather-related power outages continued into Wednesday morning from Portland to Medford and along the coast. Pacific Power and other utilities reported crews worked overnight to restore service. Oregon Department of Transportation crews were also out to clear highways blocked by standing water, fallen power lines and downed trees. "We’ve got things happening from southern Oregon all the way up the coast, in the valley and across to eastern Oregon," ODOT's Kacey Davey told KBND News Tuesday.
Flooding stranded drivers in some parts of the Willamette Valley, "We’ve had a lot of snow and ice already," says Davey, "And so, when you get lots of rain coming down - I mean, inches of rain all the way down the valley - in that already saturated ground, there’s nowhere for this water to go; and so, sometimes it pools on the highway."
She says drivers need to slow down and be vigilant, "When it’s really windy and there’s standing water on the roads, you don’t know what’s going to be around the corner. You could come upon a tree down, or a rockslide, powerlines down, even just a branch in the highway." In some cases, even household debris, "One of our crew members reported a trampoline that flew across the road in front of him."
Conditions should improve Wednesday, but more precipitation is expected later this week.
Photos: (top) Downed trees block roads in eastern Multnomah County; courtesy Multnomah Co.
(above) Flooding closes an I-5 underpass; courtesy Aurora Fire District.
