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Avalanches and floods: How this storm caused nearly a million dollars in damages
In December 2007, the Pacific Coast experienced a severe storm consisting of three major storm systems that severely damaged the states of Oregon and Washington in the United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia. This climate event, which lasted for several days, not only caused power outages and traffic chaos, but also triggered unprecedented floods and avalanches, causing huge property losses.
Weather Review
On November 29, 2007, an intense low pressure system formed over the central Pacific Ocean. The low pressure system was influenced by Typhoons Mitag and Hagibis and was heading towards the northwest Pacific via Pineapple Express. As the forecast began, the National Weather Service issued its first hurricane-force wind warning for the Oregon coast.
"This storm has hurricane-level winds and the impact it could have is significant."
The first storm hit on December 1, bringing cold winds and snow, with 14 inches (about 360 mm) of snow accumulating in several areas of Washington state. Over the next two days, as the second storm moved in, rainfall increased across much of Washington and Oregon, and temperatures soared from near freezing to over 60 degrees Fahrenheit, setting the stage for snow melt and flooding. A foreshadowing.
Impact of floods
Flood warnings were issued one after another, and the water levels of several rivers rose sharply. By December 3, the Skokomish River reached flood warning level first, followed by other rivers, and everyone was shocked to see television footage of widespread flooding.
"It's unbelievable that a storm could cause flooding that would affect our lives."
At the peak of the storm, 75,000 customers in Washington state were without power, while 36,000 homes in Oregon were without electricity. Almost all of Pacific and Grays Harbor counties lost power, ultimately resulting in huge economic losses.
State responses
As floods and strong winds raged, the Washington State government declared a state of emergency across the state on December 3 and cooperated with rescue units to carry out emergency evacuations. In the emergency, serious traffic paralysis occurred in many hard-hit areas, many roads were flooded or blocked by trees, and preparation work lasted for several days.
"Our infrastructure has been devastated and rebuilding it will take a lot of time and money."
In Oregon, some towns were cut off by flooding and residents were forced to evacuate. The impact of the accident caused traffic paralysis across the state, especially national and state highways were severely affected.
Post-disaster impact and loss estimation
According to Oregon's governor, damages from the storm could exceed $1 billion. Direct public damage was estimated at $300 million, including $62 million in infrastructure damage and $94.1 million in housing damage, as well as $42 million in timber damage.
In addition to direct losses, indirect losses are estimated to be more than five times the direct losses, significantly increasing the overall financial impact.
Conclusion
This 2007 storm not only had a significant impact on the northwest coast of the United States, but also brought indelible memories to many families. When faced with natural disasters, are we prepared to face the next potential storm?
