12-31-08 5PM - HAPPY NEW YEAR - MORE STORMS COMING

We have several new weather fronts coming...cold, warm, wind and snow storms are predicted for the next week. We are gearing up. I will try to post my backlog of info from that last storm...and the courageous efforts of community volunteers, county agencies, churches, Red Cross etc. to help the needy citizens in Jewell/Elsie. It depends on how long I have power. KEEP CHECKING THE BLOG FOR MORE UPDATES. Deb

The following story was just sent out by our local newspaper...the Daily Astorian.
Jewell residents in need of helpDonations sought for storm-battered communityThe Daily AstorianAs the new year looms, electricity has been restored to almost all customers in the Jewell area, but many local residents are still coping with the aftermath of severe winter storms that cut off power and blocked roads and driveways for more than a week.There has been little or no electricity around Jewell since winter storms began blasting the region with ice, heavy snows and freezing temperatures Dec. 19.Volunteer organizations and community members are seeking donations of firewood as well as monetary contributions, to help area residents who've endured days of dark, cold and isolation.Many Clatsop County residents have critical needs following the storms and continuing loss of electricity. Volunteers are supplying food, firewood and other basic needs. The Seaside Chamber of Commerce has arranged for a contributions account at Wells Fargo Bank for those wishing to make cash donations. "The East County Rescue Account" will be managed by the Nehalem Valley Community Church, 80803 Highway 103 between Elsie and Jewell.The storms caused the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners to declare a disaster for the Jewell area. The disaster declaration authorized the county Public Works Department to assist residents by clearing blocked driveways and private roads, and to coordinate with the local power provider, West Oregon Electric Cooperative, and the Oregon Department of Transportation in restoring power to the area. The declaration also allowed the county administration to make unplanned expenditures to respond to the situation without formal prior approval of the board of commissioners, and set in motion the process for the county to call on state assistance.Electricity was finally restored to many early this week.Last week, Clatsop County and the American Red Cross, assisted by ham radio volunteers, set up comfort stations at Jewell School. The school was in operation for about five days before its water supply was exhausted. Nehalem Valley Community Church has been acting as the area Emergency Operations Coordination center in a partnership with the Elsie-Vinemaple Fire Department since. Volunteers from both organizations have been dispatching crews delivering food, fuel, wood, water and a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The Clatsop County Sheriff's Office offered its Nehalem Valley Substation to local residents for showers to replace the school's facilities.Nehalem Valley Community Church is the primary dispatch location for food and supplies. Members are still conducting safety and welfare checks and providing supplies to those in need.This week the church has been offering 24-hour shelter and supplies of food, water, firewood and other items for people in need.Mike Carter, assistant pastor and a member of the Elsie-Vinemaple Fire Department, said the church is handing out self-contained "Heater" meals, coffee, water and soup provided by community members. The church has also been helping residents buy gas, prescription medications and such miscellaneous items as a car battery.With power restored to most residents, fewer people are coming to the church, Carter said. But there still remains a critical need for dry firewood. Many people who normally use their wood stoves and fireplaces only occasionally were forced to burn through their stockpiles of wood to stay warm, and have little or no fuel left, he said.People who have dry firewood they would like to donate may bring it to the church, located at 80803 Highway 103 in Jewell. The church can be contacted at (503) 755-2376. The church will also accept monetary donations to help cover the cost of food and other items given out to local residents.Despite the warm temperatures and rain that have melted snow at lower elevations, many roads and driveways remained impassable, especially where snowplows pushed snow from the roads into large berms. To reach residents unable to drive from their homes, CERTs from Astoria and Lewis and Clark responded Monday and went door-to-door checking on residents. The teams continued to provide assistance Tuesday.Scott Reuter, a ham operator and Astoria CERT member, said the team found two people with diabetes whose insulin was running low. Other people were given food, firewood and water."Lots of people were just happy to see us walking up to their doors," he said.

Emergency Preparedness and 4 Feet of Snow

Jeannette has prepared us for every contingency. Here she reads the paper with the assistance of her "head lamp." These are the most handy flashlights you can have. We used ours constantly during the storm. Not only did it provide light for reading...it was also handy for adding gas to the generator, bringing in wood, etc. Her mini-laptop (which we call the "Barbie Dream House" computer) was handy too...just charge it on the generator for a while and away you go. Thankfully, we had our land-line phone most of the time...but the DSL was intermittent.

About 4 feet of snow fell during our 20+ day storm. We measured 2.5 feet in our front yard when these pictures were shot.

Sheriff and Red Cross Provide Help

Elsie/Jewell residents were GREATLY APPRECIATIVE that the Sheriff's Sub-
Station was opened for showers and distribution of Red Cross supplies: "Heater Meals", bottled water and blankets. We volunteered at the Jewell sub-station on December 27 & 28. Here are some pictures taken at the sub station. The lady with the towel on her head hadn't had a hot shower for 12 days. (It was her birthday...and she said this was her BEST present ever!). The video below shows how the "Hot Meals" work. Everyone who stopped by was very grateful for the respite - and all the laughs and camaraderie we shared.

FAMILIES FEELING REFRESHED AFTER THEIR FIRST HOT SHOWER IN 1-2 WEEKS

Father and son played in the snow outside while they waited for their turn.

Jeannette talking with a freshly showered Brenda, who works at Baker's General Store. Brenda tried to avoid the camera, but I got this shot! If she had cooperated, I could have gotten a more flattering picture!! ;-))

Deb RUSHES to the bathroom in between showers. (On Saturday, we had nearly 20 showers, back-to-back!) When you gotta go, you gotta go.

The HEATER MEALS from the Red Cross were a great hit. Many folks had a hot shower and then enjoyed a their first hot meals in many days.

Trudy was amazed at the "magic" heating packet that comes with each meal. See the video below for the whole show. (Sorry, I tilted the camera to get a better view,, so the video is sideways.)

Our friend and Emergency Preparedness colleague, Alice Wood, came up to Elsie/Jewell to help us out. She brought delicious snacks and food and COFFEE FROM THE HUMAN BEAN!! She and her husband, Albert, staffed the ham station at Baker's General Store, delivered supplies and helped out where ever they could. Albert is a retired police officer and a ham radio operator. Alice is a ham, the Seaside CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) coordinator and the leader for TIP (Trauma Intervention).

Jeannette was the official ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) operator at the Sub-Station for the weekend. As always, she did a super job. Cool as a cucumber!

Victor, from the Nehalem Valley Community Church, came by to deliver some messages and help us out. Within 24 hours the church took on a major role in organizing community resources and coordinating volunteer efforts.

Volunteering at the Church - Dec. 27 & 28

MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VOLUNTEERING. THE COMMUNITY HUB HAS BEEN THE NEHALEM VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH

Pastor Abel Baker conducts his Sunday service near the wood stove. Abel has stepped-up and taken a major leadership role. Working with the Elsie/Vinemaple Fire Chief, MIKE WAMMACK (sorry, no pictures) the community is coming together and delivering needed social services to our neighbors. More on this later...

Clatsop County Commissioner, and Jewell resident, Ann Samuelson, has spent lots of time volunteering.

ALBERT WOOD (Seaside) - (stock photo)

Albert-KE7OUE - operated the ham station at Baker's Store on Saturday and spread the word about the Sheriff's Sub Station being open for showers and supplies. He and wife Alice were first on the scene and stayed for most of the day. YEAH ALBERT!

DOUG BARKER (Seaside) - (stock photo)

Doug came out last weekend and staffed the ham station at Baker's General store. Since then, he worked with his employer, the Seaside Chamber of Commerce, to establish a donation fund at a Seaside bank. THANKS DOUG!

BEN OLSON (Seaside) - (stock photo)

Ben Olson, owner of Clean-Sweep Paving has driven from Seaside to Jewell at least twice to use his back-hoe to clean up the church parking lot (which is not the community shelter and comfort station) and some critical drive ways. WHAT A GREAT, GENEROUS GUY!!

Travel Brings Frustration and Friends

We live on a private road, so we are responsible for plowing it ourselves. On Chirstmas morning, one of our neighbors decided to tackle the 2+ feet of snow that had fallen on our road. Way to "Git Er Done!" Even my Buick could get out after he plowed.

On our way to Baker's General store, we encountered a downed tree on Highway 26. Some teenagers alerted -- and told us that they had cut the branches enough to allow one car through. Thanks guys!!! (ODOT road crews cleaned up the entire fallen tree mess later that day.)

Bandit is getting feisty!

Bandit is growing up...and getting over her upper-respiratory infection...and she has gone CRAZY! She romps all over the house and has all three dogs under her paw. The boxers like to play with her (wrestling and nuzzling) but Fly just tolerates her -- especially when she joins Fly in Fly's bed! Though Buzzbee and Zoe are each 10-times her size, they have relinquished their claim to the most coveted spot in the house - next to Jeannette on the couch. (Notice Jeannette's beloved pink and white "Barbie Dreamhouse" mini lap-top.)

Snow Dog Antics

A new game - MILK BONE HUNTING !!

Snow, Ice, Snow, Ice.....

Fly beats Boxers

Chilly Paws

Milk Bone Hunt Comes To An End

Tired after playing in the snow!!

Notice the dog beds are near (but not TOO near) the wood stove. You can see the bright orange electrical cords running to the generator. Bandit didn't play in the snow, but she still has the sniffles and likes to nap a lot.

Minor injuries

Deb burned her finger while stoking the wood stove. Jeannette stumbled and the new vacuum cleaner fell on her foot. (Some of you know that her feet are "accident prone" ;-))

Both of us felt the strain of carrying wood. Jeannette's back hurt, and Deb pulled a muscle... and thought for sure it was a hernia. (It wasn't.)

Storm Log #1: December 24, 2008 "How the Other-Half Live”
The storm started on Saturday, December 13…which makes this DAY 11 of the Saddle Mountain Storm Watch. No power or running water since Saturday, Dec. 20 (WHICH MEANS, NO SHOWERS). Phone lines are intermittent. At the moment we have landline phone service (503-755-2272) but our DSL went out 2 hours ago. Who knows when/if it will return today. No AT&T cell phone since Dec.21. (Deb-503-739-2030 / Jeannette-503-931-1258) We are very thankful for our wood stove, our 3600 Watt Sears Generator (with a mighty Briggs & Stratton engine!) and our ham radios.

Storm Log #2: WOOD STOVE:

You would be surprised how versatile a wood stove can be. The kettle is on…so we can have tea or hot chocolate any time. Jeannette made a tasty pot roast with veggies on the stove. In an old-fashioned camping pot we melt snow. Though we have 10 gallons of drinking water stored-- (after all, we are “emergency preparedness” professionals) --we need to conserve the drinking water. So…we melt the snow for other purposes. Jeannette washed her hair with it, but mainly we use it to flush the toilet. ;-))

Storm Log #3: GENERATOR:

It is amazing how much you can do with 3600 watts. We are running the refrigerator, my beloved ice machine, the cable box and our TV! (We have a satellite dish…so our TV signal is great and we can monitor the outside world on the news.) Also on the grid is our DSL modem and wireless router. We are also charging phones, lap tops computers, etc. At night, we unplug everything except the refrigerator and run a heavy-duty extension cord to the bedroom for my C-PAP machine. That little honey of a generator has been doing ALL of that for 5 days+ -- NON-STOP!

Storm Log #4: SNOW BOUND - HAM RADIOS

We are also very thankful for BAKER’S GENERAL STORE. Baker’s is located 2 miles east of us on Hwy 26…and is the lifeline for all of us on the mountain. They provide gasoline, propane, food, hardware and other supplies. They are also the best resource for information…bested only by ham radios.

Deer Blessings on Christmas Eve

We had a special visitor on Christmas Eve afternoon. As you can see...she is beautiful AND VERY HUNGRY. Jeannette discovered her under the apple tree in our front yard. She was digging for rotten apples that had fallen to the ground. (You see, everything is very organic on Saddle Mountain. Most of you would pick-up fallen apples in your yard, or maybe even pick them. However, we are so in-tune with nature, we leave them on the ground just in case a hungry deer comes by in a blizzard.) ;=)) We are also feeding hundreds of birds. We have gone through old bread, bird seed, fruit, etc. The birds and the deer are eating everything they can find.

We took the visit from our furry friend as a good omen and decided to attempt to get over the mountain to be. The roads were 95% clear...for a window of several hours...so we took our chance while we had it. After we got over the David Douglas pass, we removed the chains on Jeannette's Honda. It was a little scary at first...like removing your training wheels. But the road was bare and wet all the way in, so we were relieved to know that we had made the right decision to take them off. (Remember, WE didn't put the chains on .... so who knows what the future has in store??)

We bought 4 more 2.5 gallon gas cans, a few more supplies, and MORE JUNK FOOD! We also bought fruits and veggies...but those are intended for the deer and birds. ;=)) We also went to the local pool and had the most delicious HOT SHOWER we've ever had. On the way out of town we filled up everything we had with gas and headed home. (Baker's is running low and with more storms coming in, they may not get more gas until 26th, 27th...??? Everyone is limited to 5 gallons per day - so we stocked up in Seaside. THE ROAD HOME WAS VERY SLICK WITHOUT THE CHAINS. As you know, mountain/coast weather changes moment to moment. In less than two hours more snow hit the pass and it was mixed with slushy, icy rain. Even folks with chains were slipping. We made it home safely and quickly unloaded the car. WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO A PLEASANT CHRISTMAS EVE IN FRONT OF THE WOOD STOVE.
posted 12-25-08

Deer Video and Feeding Time

Play the videos below to see our Christmas deer in action. After she left, Deb trudged through the knee-deep snow to deliver bird seed, cracked corn, apples, oranges, tomatoes, rabbit food with alfalfa to her feeding spot. The next morning most of the fruit was gone, so we chose to believe that she came back to eat.

posted 12-25-08

Snow...dogs... and more snow!

Dogs Playing in Snowy Backyard (video)

12-20-08 Fly, Buzz and Zoe enjoyed today's snowy conditions. The chocolate lab belongs to our neighbors, the Foxes. The barking is being done by PISMO, our next-door-neighbor's Blue Healer pup.

Jeannette gives Deb A Snow Shoe for Christmas

A "Snowshoe" kitten that is. The little 4 month old, 4 pound bundle of joy from the shelter stole our hearts...so we named her BANDIT. (Her mask was another determining factor ;-)) The boxers are still trying to adjust...Fly just ignores all cats.

More pictures of Bandit

Posted 12-20-08