Over the last few days, Oregon has been getting pounded by a huge storm. That’s something of an understatement actually.

All the major interstates in and around Portland were closed at some point today, and some are still closed. Every single route out to the Oregon coast is closed due to flooding, mudslides, wind damaged trees falling across the roads, etc. As I write this, there isn’t a way out to the coast for hundreds of miles in either direction north or south. Everyone out at the coast was basically trapped without power. Could be days before it gets sorted out. Portland saw street flooding where sewers backed up, but things have been surprisingly ok (but sure windy and wet).

Here’s a few interesting tidbits:

• Train service north of Portland was shut down due to a landslide – there is no train route from CA to Canada until it’s cleared.
• I-5, the interstate between Seattle and Portland, may be closed for days due to the interstate being flooded
  
• The world’s largest Sitka spruce bit the big one today – after surviving over 700 years of storms
  
• Ocean buoys have been breaking from their mourings in 40 foot swells. Now as seawater gets to their batteries they fill with hydrogen gas and pose an explosion hazard
• Winds were clocked at over 100 mph at the coast, inland they’re much less – but it’s blowing all day.
• Road closures all over the place as streets and highways get flooded over, cleared, then flood somewhere else…
• We got about 4-5 inches of rain today in Portland, they got 10-15 in the cascade mountains between us and the coast

Overall, however, things are not doing bad here in Portland. We’re all still going to work and getting stuff done. Most things are open and we’ve had power all day. Should be an interesting week…