Holy Wind Batman!

After a few minutes of early morning snuggles with my three-year-old son Titus and husband James, we were drawn to open the shades and see the trees shake from the wind gusts that we could hear outside. The morning progresses; we have breakfast, I put the sheets in the wash, and every few minutes I glance out the giant windows that surround our second floor to see the wind whipping and shaking the trees that engulf our property. About an hour after breakfast James yells “Everyone downstairs!”

In the sunroom, he could hear a branch smacking our roof and side of the upstairs. The gusts came and went for a bit as Titus plays lego’s downstairs and I sent the hubby down the street for milk, fruit and a cucumber for my swollen allergy eyes.

Five minutes later he texts me that Risley Road is a war zone, there are Fire Trucks and Ambulances everywhere and Fred Meyer is closed due to downed power. What do you know, no more than 3 minutes into getting the text, our power goes out too. I guess those bed sheets are going to be wet for awhile.

Washing dishes, I looked across our cold-a-sac to our babysitters house, who just had a tree branch smash into her car. The sweet teenager and her parents were standing outside looking at it. Her mother clearly concerned, thank goodness no one was in the vehicle.  

A couple of hours later my friend Vanessa and I were texting back and forth because we made plans the night before to go to Home Depot for a big ‘Black Friday Spring Sale’. After calling to make sure they were open and feeling restless with no power on in our house, I packed up Titus and headed to pick up Vanessa. When I pulled in she had just finished tucking in her and her neighbors trash cans that had rolled over and into the street from the gusts.

Home Depot had the garden section closed off. They were still letting shoppers out but only with an employee escort because pots and plants were being knocked over by the wind. We braved outside with our escort in an orange apron and loaded up some plants and soil as quickly as possible. My little guy walked around putting plants back up on the tables “Mommy look! I’m helping Home Depot people!” He was so proud of himself and wanted to make sure I took notice of him being a good boy. -He even got rewarded with a sucker for it. Truthfully, we all got a sucker… they were delicious. -

On our drive back after our blustery Depot experience we noticed more downed, branches, trees, road signs and fences. I also became more aware of the ambulances and police sirens in the distance. The Sellwood neighborhoods were littered with workers starting to pile up debris from the roads. Back at Vanessa’s, Titus watched as shingles were blown off of her neighbors roof and she informs me after checking the alert on her phone that over 150,000 people were now without power, including several Portland and surrounding area schools.  

I could tell the wind was worrying Titus. I talked about how wind can be strong and even dangerous

but it also makes the trees dance. I also reminded him that it is mother nature blowing the clouds away to make room for sunshine and blue skies. Something we have not seen much of in the Northwest this winter or spring.

At 11:30a I get a text from James that the power at our house is back on. After playing at Vanessa’s a bit longer we head home to see more damage to people property by downed trees and debris. I drove straight up SE Harrison Street so we could drop a book off at the Ledding Library. All the sudden we were surrounded by fire trucks, police SUVs and other emergency responders. Just a block before the library on SE Main Street in the heart of downtown Milwaukie there were at least 9 emergency vehicles I could see with more sirens nearing. I pulled over to safely get a picture when another by standard walking

past us away from the commotion informed me that there was a gas leak in the apartment complex, most likely caused by a down tree. I jumped in the car and got Titus and I out of there… That library book is going to have to wait.

To finish up our ridiculously windy adventure, Titus and I pass a house just blocks from our home where a tree had smashed through the middle of the house and into their driveway crashing into 2 parked cars, shattering the glass in one. It also ripped down a power line that was hanging in the road and draped across the property. From what we have been told no one was seriously hurt, but damn, that’s a bad day.

I have lived in Oregon for almost 8 years now and while the wind and the rain are standard here this storm was a doozy.

Have you ever had wind do damage?