TILLAMOOK
The torrential early November rains walloped Tillamook County
hard: A preliminary assessment completed in mid-December put
the damage figure at $12.5 million, according to Tom Manning,
the county’s director of emergency services. The storm
and the subsequent record flooding caused by the breach of the
Wilson River levee, then the break of that levee, flooded 150
houses and businesses. Of those, 75 sustained major damage, and
16 structures were destroyed. Businesses along Highway 101, a
flood plain, were hard-hit, including the Dairy Queen, which employed 22
people; Manning says it likely will not reopen. Also heavily
damaged were the Blue Heron
French Cheese Company and Rosenberg Builder’s Supply,
each sustaining about $250,000 in losses. Manning says the
county is seeking $5 million from FEMA to repair damaged
infrastructure. Rains dumped 29 inches on the area in early
November. Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Nov. 8 declared an emergency
for Clatsop, Clackamas, Columbia, Hood River, Multnomah,
Lincoln, Tillamook, Lane, and Washington counties to pave way
for federal highway aid.
