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PORTLAND, Ore. (CN) — Many Oregon residents are bracing for another icy weekend following a weeklong storm that has uprooted hundreds of trees, damaged homes and left thousands of Oregonians without power.
Since Jan. 13, residents throughout Oregon have endured freezing, snowy conditions and gusty winds in excess of 50 miles per hour in some parts of the state. The freezing wind toppled trees into power lines, homes and cars on Saturday, killing one man after a tree fell into his Lake Oswego home and another after a tree fell into an RV in Portland, causing a fire.
Nine additional deaths have since been reported in the Portland area involving hypothermia, building fires and downed power lines. In one instance, two adults and a teenager died after power lines fell on to a parked SUV in northeast Portland on Wednesday.
The tragic accident claimed the lives of the two adults after they slipped on ice upon leaving the car, touching the live wire. The teenager, who reportedly walked over to help his pregnant sister and her boyfriend, slipped on the ice and touched the live wire, as well. He was 15 years old. A nearby resident, Majiah Washington, 18, managed to rescue a 9-month-old from the father who died.
Meanwhile, frigid conditions have left thousands of Oregonians without electricity and some without clean tap water. On Wednesday, the Springfield Utility Board issued residents a boil water notice after its water system lost pressure following a power outage, increasing the chance of exposing residents to potentially harmful bacteria.
As of Thursday at 4:25 p.m., Portland General Electric reported 871 active outages affecting 14,720 customers. EWEB, the power utility company for Eugene, Oregon, reported 341 outages affecting 12,517 customers.
Luckily for Oregon residents south of Salem, the National Weather Service does not predict more freezing rain through the weekend. The agency does, however, expect more icy conditions for northwest Oregon, the western Columbia River Gorge and southwest Washington state into Friday, and is warning residents of further ice accumulations along with wind gusts that could reach 30 to 35 miles per hour.
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