The result? By January of 1996, the area had already suffered a rain-soaked winter. The aftermath was bad. Rivers surged. On Feb. 9, the Willamette River crested in Portland at 28.55 feet, more than 10 feet above flood stage and the sixth-highest level on record. Then, in early February of 1996 -- 19 years ago this month --  came a Pineapple Express, the warm, atmospheric river of rain that often blows in during the winter from the Pacific Ocean. The region's creeks and rivers were swollen and area soils were saturated with water. On Memorial Day in 1948, the Columbia River, roaring downstream fifteen feet above the flood plain in Portland, undermined a railroad embankment that served as a dike, starting a flood that would leave 18,000 people homeless and significantly alter race relations in Portland. The Isle of Portland is a tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) wide, in the English Channel. Taylor's talk, "The Flood of 1996," will begin at 12:15 p.m. at the bridge level of m_gallery_permalink = "http://photos.oregonlive.com/4450/gallery/flood_of_1996/index.html"; Portland 1996 flood. Tillamook, always and easy mark for flooding, got even more than its usual share. m_gallery_creation_date = "Tuesday, February 10, 2015, 10:43 AM"; Gordon Reynolds died aged 96 in 2011. Shop new, used, rare, and out-of-print books. Using plywood sheets, plastic and sandbags, workers reinforced the metal and concrete fence that sits atop the harbor wall between the Hawthorne and Steel bridges in downtown. m_gallery_title = "Flood of 1996"; by KATU staff. All rights reserved (About Us). That is the responsibility of the lender. UV---1: 1: 1--Tuesday (16 February 2021) Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00 Weather symbol: Chance of precipitation. The conference, "The Flood of '96: Causes, Effects and Consequences," will be held Oct. 7-8 at the Columbia River Red Lion Hotel in Portland. But then, the sun came out. Privacy Policy. Flood information for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales Northern Ireland Direct Scottish Environment Protection Agency Natural Resources Wales. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). A 50-year flood has a magnitude that would be expected to occur every 50 years, on average. But then the other key parts of the equation blew in. Entire towns were isolated. A significant increase in development along the river systems. Eventually, the Willamette crested at 28.6 feet in downtown, nearly 11 feet above flood stage. The Willamette River crested at 28.5 feet in downtown Portland, 10 feet above flood level. m_gallery_blog_id = "4450"; And the coast wasn't spared. It was the perfect combination of conditions to create a flood in the Willamette Valley. except with the prior written permission of Oregon Live LLC. Powell’s is an independent bookstore based in Portland, Oregon. By January of 1996, the area had already suffered a rain-soaked winter. For current flood warnings in force please call our 24-hour Floodline on: Telephone: 0345 988 1188 Type talk: 0345 602 6340 (for the hard of hearing) Raw video: The Willamette River in downtown Portland during the floods of 1996. The combination of record-breaking rain, warm temperatures, and a deep snowpack led to severe flooding throughout northern sections of the state. The Isle of Portland has seen its fair share of wild weather over the years, jutting out south of Weymouth in the English Channel. Throughout his long life he remained proud of his Chiswell roots, always describing it as ‘the principal village on Portland.’ m_gallery_pagetype = "embed"; The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, Flood of 1996 toll The Flood of ’96 killed eight Oregonians, four on one. The flood of 1996 was caused by normal weather patterns for Oregon: above average snowpack in lower elevations, a huge deluge of rain and frozen … A slide actually happened in the same spot as another major landslide back during the 1996 flood. The Army Corps reacted by orchestrating reservoir releases at regional dams, including Grand Coulee. This increases runoff as well as debris clogs in the river systems. This weekend marks 25 years since heavy snowmelt and the arrival of a "pineapple express" storm converged on the northwest, bringing some of the most severe flooding our region has seen. Flooding also occurred in several other communities downstream of Portland/Vancouver on both the Oregon and Washington banks of the river. At least 15 people died in the flood, and the city was a complete loss. Subscribe to OregonLive. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The Willamette was at the tip of the sea wall in Downtown Portland ; The Flood of 1964 was characterized as the 100 year flood What's different between 1964 and 1996: Significant increase in logging in the local watersheds. In late January, the region's first heavy snowstorm fell, followed by several days of severe, freezing cold. The rains stopped. © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. Destroyed cars were stacked up. The Willamette Falls in Oregon City all but disappeared in the February 1996 flood, severely damaging the navigation locks. User Agreement and CORVALLIS - George Taylor, the state climatologist at Oregon State University, will discuss the great flood of 1996 during a free public lecture on Thursday, June 6, in Portland. The Willamette River crested at 28.5 feet in downtown Portland, 10 feet above flood level. It was oregon s largest flood event in terms of fatalities and monetary damage during the 1990s. Information provided in our reports matches the Environment Agency / Natural Resources Wales classification of flood risk categories. m_gallery_type = "photo"; It was the perfect combination of conditions to create a flood in the Willamette Valley. And the problem wasn't just flooding. For a while, the Isle of Portland truely became an island, as floods covered the connecting road. Portland is 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England.A barrier beach called Chesil Beach joins it to the mainland. 1 peninsula drainage district no. In early February 1996, a weeklong freeze followed by a Pineapple Express storm saturated Western Oregon and led to massive flooding. It was the worst natural disaster Portland had seen since the Vanport Flood in 1948. Still, that alone probably would not have been a huge problem. Connect with your community. The winter's wild combination of frozen ground, melting snow, and heavy rainfall finally caught up with the normally slow, calm river last week. City workers began building what came to be called "Vera's Wall," after then-Mayor Vera Katz. Yesterday at 10:27 AM. How useful was this information? Below are the Metro areas flooded by the mainstem and major tributaries of the Willamette. It is estimated that the Corps' flood control projects in the basin prevented flood damages at Portland of $1.1 billion. The water rose 3½ feet above flood level in Corvallis and 18 feet above in Oregon City. THE GREAT FLOOD OF '96 The flooding of the Potomac River on January 20 and 21, following an almost record-setting blizzard, rain, and melting snow, wrecked havoc on 70 to 80 percent of the Canal according Park Superintendent Doug Faris. Flood of ’96 In February, 1996 an estimated 3.2 billion dollars in flood damage was avoided by government agencies and non-federal hydro operators working together. Lessons from the flood of '96. Water reached the sidewalks of RiverPlace in Southwest Portland and came within inches of cresting the harbor wall in downtown. The talk is part of the OSU Over Lunch series, which brings prominent OSU faculty and administrators to Portland. The worst flooding to hit Corvallis, Oregon City, Portland and other communities along the Willamette River since the Christmas Floods of 1964. The Flood of ’96 In early February 1996, a weeklong freeze followed by a Pineapple Express storm saturated Western Oregon and led to massive flooding. Not since 1974 had floodwaters buried downtown Tualatin, leaving apartment … Wheat crops were destroyed and at least 1,000 dairy cows drowned. Large sections of Oregon City were inundated and the river got so high, it nearly made the Willamette Falls disappear. It is the second annual Pacific Northwest Water Issues Conference. apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Here is a family home video from February of 1996, showing some of the extensive flooding that hit the Portland Metro area in 1996. But because flood control technology had advanced since 1964, damage wasn't as bad as it otherwise might have been. A A. All rights reserved (About Us). Eight people had died and the damage soared well into the millions. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. The water rose 3½ feet above flood level in Corvallis and 18 feet above in Oregon City. For eight years, the embankment had kept the Columbia River out of the newly developed 648-acre complex named … m_gallery_json = "https://blog.oregonlive.com/photogallery/4450/16980638.json"; One of the biggest floods the Portland District faced in the late 20th century occurred in February 1996 and caused millions of dollars in damage to the region. The Tualatin River just couldn't take any more. Such a flood has a 2 percent chance of being equalled or exceed in any given year. 96% 92% 92% 96% 93% UV. Here are the 10 highest crests recorded on the Willamette River at Portland, according to records kept by the National Weather Service. That was all it took to create the Flood of 1996. Interactive by Mark Friesen/The Oregonian, Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Metro, Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our And the river slowly began to drop. In february 1996 the corps used the tributary dams to manipulate flows and hold back water which likely eased flooding by two feet in portland and prevented an additional 11 billion in flood. Community Rules Browse staff picks, author features, and more. Streams transformed into raging torrents. PORTLAND - Oregon State University is co-sponsoring a conference to try to put the flood of 1996 into historic, scientific and political perspective. © 2019 Oregon Live LLC. Columbia River Steamship Operators' Association, Inc. m_gallery = "flood_of_1996"; The November flood for Boulder Creek near Toketee Falls (14316495) had an unusually high magnitude in comparison to the other basins. Monday, February 8th 2016 . In some areas, the saturated soils began to slide, leading to several homes being destroyed, some in Portland's West Hills and at least one in the Columbia River Gorge. Cost. Things became so tense that some low-lying downtown businesses began to evacuate to get ready. 25 years ago - Flood of '96, as told by the US National Weather Service Portland Oregon. For current flood warnings in force please call our 24-hour Floodline on: Telephone: 0345 988 1188; Type talk: 0345 602 6340 (for the hard of hearing) Find out more about call charges. A series of intense surges of subtropical moisture inundated western Oregon during the period February 5-9. m_gallery_id = "16980638"; PORTLAND, Ore. — Pounding rain, snow and a Pineapple Express devastated the Portland area 20 years ago this week. Do you remember the Flood of '96? Within a couple of days, every body of water in the region suddenly went to flood stage and beyond. The area, along with Lyme Regis, Weymouth, and West Bay, was subject to a severe flood warning. Columbia River Steamship Operators' Association, Inc.