October 12, 2012
Columbus Day Storm 50 years later
Some called it the ‘perfect storm’, but it was actually three separate storms. That’s according to Kathy Dello, the deputy director of the Oregon Climate Service at Oregon State University.
50 years ago today, wind gusts measuring 145 miles an hour, with a peak velocity that may have been as high as 175 miles an hour, demolished trees, homes and lives in Western Oregon and Southwest Washington. 46 deaths were attributed to the Columbus Day Storm, making it the second deadliest weather event in the state’s history.
Dello said the storm… or storms… were remnants of a Pacific typhoon that gathered more force in the North Pacific. She said research has shown that three things combined to make it so powerful. The first being that resurgence, the second was that it pushed a significant low pressure system ahead of it as it moved up the coast, and finally, the storm track, pushing north between the Coast Range and the Cascades made it extremely powerful in the Willamette Valley and on the coast.
Dello also said the timing… in October… was unusual. So far it’s the only major wind storm to have occurred this early in the fall.
The storm is credited with eventually prompting two major additions to Honeyman State Park. The East Woahink Day Use Area and “F” loop in the Honeyman campground were developed after most of the standing timber on those two spots was blown down.
Get Ready…
The 50th anniversary of the Columbus Day Storm is serving as a good reminder that coastal residents should be prepared to take care of themselves for a few days. Frank Nulty is the head of the Community Emergency Response Teams. He says residents need to look close to home for the best help.
Frank Nulty — “It really all boils down to neighbor helping neighbor.”
Beyond that, some simple preparations are in order.
Frank Nulty — “You need to have your batteries to supply your lights and your radio so you can keep contact, what’s happening. They need some source of heating to take care of cooking meals. You’re gonna probably have to take care of your own water from stored water.”
Nulty says a good resource is the Western Lane Emergency Operations Group… also known as “wee-log”. They offer monthly disaster preparation classes and regularly meet to prepare for emergencies. We-log also has a website with good connections.
Frank Nulty — “WLEOG.org, which is the site where you can go ahead and find some basic information. It also has some very good information on red cross dot com.”
There are still a few spaces left in tomorrow’s class about water and sanitation. There’s no cost, but pre-registration is needed. You can get in on that today at Siusalw Valley Fire and Rescue.
Science Fair
Next Thursday is a day for parent-teacher conferences at Siuslaw Elementary School. It will also give Laura Smith and several volunteers the chance to expose parents and students to things like inertia, friction, buoyancy and fluid dynamics. Smith, also known as “the science lady” has put together a science fair that will be running simultaneously with conferences on Thursday, October 18th. .
Laura Smith — “It’s just an open house. There’s ten different interactive tables and they get to pick whatever it is that suits their fancy.”
Smith says some parents may have more than one student…
Laura Smith — “You have a first grader, you have a fourth grader, you have time in between.”
Smith says there’ll be a magician demonstrating Newton’s First Law; students can learn how to make fluorescent slime or build a hover craft out of an old CD. The open house runs Thursday from 2:30 to 6:30 pm at Siuslaw Elementary.
