Sidekickcat!

[blim]

Pat, I am so glad to see you posting as I've been looking for you! I've been hearing about the horrible weather in your area; and you and Hubby have been in my thoughts and prayers. Did you weather the "big-blow" in one piece?

Liz

[thesidekickcat]

Hello dear friend,

Thanks so much for the prayers!!!

Yes we have had some nasty weather, November broke all records for rain amounts, then a break for a week or so in Dec, then back to more rain. Oh yes had a spell of real cold nasty temps and a dusting of snow for a few days too, and snow flurries again possible tonight. Then just to spice things up, the other day we had one of the worst wind storms in many years for the NW. I think we probably had sustained winds here at the peak of storm around 60mph, with gusts maybe as high as 70. Many areas of metro area had lots of trees, power poles and lines down on roads and houses, same with rural areas especially the coast. Lots of people without power, but we only had blips on and off. Of course had computer stuff all unplugged. Oh we also had quite a bit of lightening for added drama, and an inch or two of rain. The odd thing was we had a record breaking or tying high temperature of 60F. So didn't feel to cold even when outside!!! Sure glad it wasn't a severe cold front or we would have had an unbelievable for this area blizzard. The mountains got alot of snow and at higher elevations on Mt Hood, where the missing climbers are, wind was blowing around 95 mph or more!!! Oregon coast had horrendous winds even for them! Mt Hebo near Tillamook at 3100 feet had 114mph!!! Places right along the beaches had in upper 90mphs gusts. Yikes!!!

Lots of people still without power through out the region. Yes folks we do get some nasty wind storms here in Oregon and in Washington!!!

Only damage, Praise God, that we had here was one and a half sections of the neighbor's 6 foot high fence and his tall (about 8 foot?) heavy, ugly ivy trellis blew over into side of our house. What a bang it all made when it hit house!!! So in a wind lull, we went out and pushed it back over into his yard, before it did any more damage than scraping paint on our place. One section of it was only leaning against my vine maple small tree so braced fence over the other way with one of the good boards off other section before a gust of wind could push it and my tree over!!! I sure hope he doesn't try to rescue that awful ivy, it would have runner branches crawl through and under the fence every year...gave me the creeps!!! Plus found out a few years back while pulling the stuff out of fence, and ground on our side, that I was allergic to it. Itched worse than poison ivy ever did which I never really had a problem with. And ivy has been on the noxious weed list for several years here due to the birds carrying bits and pieces of it up into natural areas and Forest Park etc where it just takes over and even kills trees eventually circling them and choking them out (like mistletoe does). As for the fence it was rotting out in places and only a matter of time before it gave trouble.

Sure glad that the elderly couple across street had their worst trees taken out this summer!!! One had already leaned over on garage last winter or was it spring...can't remember right now. So am glad those are gone. As for the other big ones around here, they did alot of swaying but still stood, including the one that could come as far over as our place, even it's one huge dead branch stayed on the tree!!! So we were very lucky to have so little damage in neighborhood, and no long stretch without power, only blips.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers for us. Please pray for the searchers on Mt Hood as they try to find those missing climbers. Conditions have been very very dangerous up there and it is scary to think of possibly some of them being swept away in an avalanche or making a misstep in blinding snow and wind conditions while trying to find and save the climbers who may or may not even be alive now. Very dangerous for Black Hawk helicopters, and the big (can't remember was it a C10...looked like one of those old ones in old movies) plane with special sensing equipment too, which could set off avalanches with vibration of rotors/motors etc. Severe avalanche danger along with heavy snow fall, and winds. Not a good time to be up there. Only good window today and tomorrow it looks like to find them.

We have been busy doing not much of anything but manage to waste hours of time doing it. Ha!

Yes, sooner or later we will get this new season of our lives figured out, but in the meantime...sigh! Ha!

Love to everyone.

Pat

God bless everyone

Edited December 17, 2006 by thesidekickcat

[blim]

I am so glad that you lucked out with very little damage! Being a "Tornado Survivor" when in KY with the Dancers (10 years ago and seems like yesterday! Will NEVER forget that sound!) and surviving "150mph straight line winds" a few years ago, the winds make me nervous now. Gosh, can wind be so destructive!!

And for the folks who don't have to deal with high winds, you have nooooo idea.....consider yourselves lucky!

Again, I'm so happy to hear you and Hubby went through this without much damage!! I've been worried about you!

And yes, the hikers need to be in our prayers. What a horrible dillema for them!

Liz

Edited December 17, 2006 by blim

[thesidekickcat]

Just heard breaking Ch12 news that a transformer exploded and now a substation is on fire in Beaverton, a suburb west of Portland. Yikes!!! So another 50, 000 people with no power, at least for a few hours until they can switch out power from other substations, sure hope that doesn't bring more trouble elsewhere!!!

Just saw your post Liz after I posted this, bless you my friend!!!

Pat

God bless everyone

Edited December 17, 2006 by thesidekickcat

[macmarauder]

**hugs thesidekitcat** i'm glad that you are ok.

[bar5]

Glad to hear you and hubby are OK. I figured you had your computer unplugged, as you say you always do in a storm. Have been looking here every day to see if you are OK. I knew eventually, or hopefully, that you would check in.

From what I see on TV, these storms are so powerful, to say the least, and virtually no let up.

I have been hoping and praying for those climbers also. Maybe today they will rescue them.

Take care.

Barb

[blim]

And Macmarauder's here, too! I've also been wondering your whereabouts!

I heard about the Power Outage this morning and said,

"Good Lord, Portland got it again!!!"

We need to put a force field around that area!

Liz

[handplane]

Hi Pat,

Gald you guys of OK.

Been concern for you safety with all those rolling in on y'all.

[robroy]

I am also happy to see that you are good, glad to see you and Mac posting again

[thesidekickcat]

Thanks everyone, and hugs to all , especially Mac!!!

Hubby heard today the power was back on for most, if not all, the Beaverton folks affected by the burning substation, their power was switched from other substations around the area, and as of early this morning the fire was still burning. The overworked people on those line crews all over the state must have really been discouraged when that transformer at substation exploded!!! They have been working so hard and so many long hours to get everyone's power back up. Praise God for their valiant efforts in all kinds of weather!!!

Here is a link to a Katu tv news story about the Washington state part of the storm.

Many still blacked out after deadly storm

Sewage spills caused by power outages also general report of substation fire

Transformer fire causes widespread power outages

As for the missing Mt Hood climbers, searches by that special plane found evidence last night? of a snow cave, and the helicopter today found what looked like a snow cave marked with ski pole? and rope, and a large Y carved in ice. But the searchers, who were lowered from the chopper, found an empty snow cave with sleeping bag, and ice pick etc in it with no sign of the men. I wonder if it is hypothermia setting in to leave behind that very essential ice pick tool, and the sleeping bag? Fox News had some of the most gorgeous close-up detailed live photos of Mt Hood that I have ever seen. Shows how very rugged the mountain really is. Even though it was a clear sunny day, it was still in teens or lower for temperature up that high. Didn't hear a wind report but wind didn't appear to be a factor today. Very experienced military helicopter crew and search people, having served in Afghanistan mountains up there today doing this extremely hazzardous search.

Hubby just heard (3:30pm PST) a breaking news item that they found one climber dead found in another snow cave as searches came back down the mountain. So sad!!!

Breaking News headline Katu tv, a missing climber found dead

It also is being reported on Fox News.

Pat

God bless everyone

Edited December 18, 2006 by thesidekickcat