## Flood, Tornado and Windstorm Awareness > [!INFO]- YouTube > <center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NShnSbzsve0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center> - Tyree Wilde meteorologist - Wind storms - Winter months have most frequent and strongest wind storms - Have a tendency to blow down large Fir trees or break limbs during rainy months - 1962-10-12 "Columbus Day Storm" was the worst modern state-wide disaster - 116mph winds in downtown Portland 170mph winds - Killed 38 people - Cities lost power for more than two weeks - 50,000 dwellings damaged - Entire fruit and nut orchards were destroyed - Safest place to be is inside buildings - Fasten loose objects that could become projectiles in high wind - Be cautious driving high-profile vehicles, especially on bridges - Floods - Most rain falls November to April - 1948 Columbia River Flood - ==Not mentioned in the presentation==, but [Wikipedia says](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_flood_of_1964) [[#^ba05a0|the first flood that *is* mentioned]] was second only to this one. - Destroyed Vanport, Oregon's second-largest city at the time, home to 40,000 people (by some accounts only 15,000,) 40% of them African-American. Just eight years earlier, the Black population in *the state* was only 1,800. - Interestingly enough, the editors of the Wikipedia article assert that the main source of racism and racial tension in Vanport (which was largely comprised of people from other parts of the country who moved to work at the "wartime Kaiser Shipyards" in Portland and Vancouver during World War II) was the white people who moved there and brought their racist attitudes with them. - The article also claims that "The Housing Authority of Portland never had any explicit policy advocating segregation; nonetheless, for various reasons de facto segregation was the norm." Later, it will say "some Black leaders argued that the flood was ultimately beneficial for the city's Black community," after mentioning that the destruction of Vanport sent Black Portlanders into North and Northeast Portland. But, according to [[#^708724|the Smithsonian article cited below]], the only place they were able to move to (due to redlining) was the already-crowded Albina district. - The Wikipedia article largely cites *Vanport* by one Manly Maben, from 1987. - [This Smithsonian Article](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/vanport-oregon-how-countrys-largest-housing-project-vanished-day-180954040/?no-ist), on the contrary, reports an almost *entirely* racist story! Can Wikipedia even be trusted? ^708724 - December 1964 "rain on snow" flood event ^ba05a0 - Downtown Portland received 11.5" of rain - Willamette rose 12' above flood level - Thousands of people had to be evacuated and hundreds of homes were destroyed - Have a flood safety plan - Know your flood risk and elevation where flooding occurs - When there's a risk of flooding, get out of those areas - Tornadoes - The safest place to be is an underground shelter or basement - Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls - If caught away from shelter, but close to your car, get in, buckle your seatbelt, and drive to the closest sturdy shelter. - If flying debris hits your car, pull over, duck below the level of windows, and cover your head with your hands - How to be prepared? - Everyone should have an [[#2. Elements of an Emergency Preparedness Plan]] and [[#3. Assembling an Emergency Preparedness Kit]] - NWS administers "Watches," "Warnings," and "Advisories" - Watches have a day or two of lead time - Warnings mean the danger is imminent—it's time to implement an action plan - Advisories are issued for significant events that may become more threatening unless you exercise caution --- - [[N2.21 Portland NET Basic Training Index 20240120|Portland NET Basic Training]]