Storm Cuts Off Section of Oregon Coast

Residents of towns near the ocean found themselves living on an island Friday after torrential rains and swollen rivers closed several highways, virtually cutting two coastal counties off from the rest of the state.

The storm, the first major one to hit the Pacific Northwest this fall, was moving out Friday, but flooding continued. Tillamook and Lincoln counties were cut off, forcing evacuations and keeping highways closed.

“There’s no way in or out of the county, no matter which direction you go,” said Marge Meyer, a Lincoln County sheriff’s dispatcher. “We’re kind of an island right now.”

The northern coast bore the brunt of the storm. Heavy rains, overflowing rivers and mudslides made Thanksgiving Day miserable for many travelers.

Trina Venton, 19, cooked her first turkey Thursday, but her mother couldn’t make the 10-minute drive to her house.

“She’s still trying to get here,” Venton said Friday. “I told her to get a little boat and come on over.”

Tom Manning, emergency services director in Tillamook, said three shelters had been set up, and about 100 stranded motorists and homeowners were staying there. About 25 people were rescued from a nursing home. Some were taken to a hospital.

Lincoln County Sheriff John O’Brien said 11 people were evacuated and six others were assisted overnight near the swollen Salmon River in north Lincoln County. Deputies were working with a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to evacuate residents from rooftops on the Siletz River.

One woman, who could not be reached by boat, was hoisted from her roof by the helicopter. In Yamhill County, a sheriff’s deputy waded through standing water to rescue a 63-year-old woman whose car had stalled. She was treated and released from a McMinnville hospital for hypothermia.

Highways 18, 20, 101 and 229 were blocked by trees and mudslides, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

In Yamhill County, Highways 18 and 22 were closed and motorists and deputies reported that driving was difficult on almost every road because of high or standing water.

Highway 6, a winding two-lane road that goes east-west and ends in Tillamook, was closed about 13 miles east of town when a culvert beneath the highway became plugged with debris and overflowed.

U.S. 101, which runs the length of the coast, was closed north of Tillamook after the Wilson River flooded low-lying areas. Highway workers opened up four other spots that were blocked by water and mud.

A slide at Cascade Head closed the road south of town. U.S. 20 at milepost 17 between Corvallis and Newport also was closed by 3 feet of standing water.