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 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.
