Pacific Storms

Water, water, everywhere...
Last night winds were clocked at Cape Blanco at 74miles per hour, a respectable storm for this time of the year. Lake Garrison is filling up, and occasional big wave surges spill ocean water right over that berm in the picture.

We usually get a dozen or more such storms during winter months.
This year, we have had maybe two.

Today, and for the next few days, all river valleys around us are under a flood watch. People who live by the Coquille, Sixes, Elk, Smith, Coos, Chetco...are advised to be alert and avoid low areas.
Roads through canyons that traverse the state of Oregon from the middle of the state to the coast are under watch as well as extra rain may cause road closures due to runoffs or road/bridge collapses.

In 2007 a Pacific storm in early December blew the roof off the high school,shut down the highway for a few days, as debris and broken limbs littered Highway 101 for miles and caused heavy damages on a few bridges south of here. Our neighbors had no electricity for a few days, and everyone tried to stay warm by lighting up their fireplaces. A few lucky souls keep generators ready just for these circumstances.

We took a drive earlier in the week toward Coos Bay by way of Seven Devils Road. The road was named for the difficulty of the terrain, and for the usual encounters of "Devils", misfits and bootleggers vying for the same profits. Liquor running was the way of commerce for many folks, as back roads were not easily penetrated by lawmen. After this storm, I'm sure the road has been closed.