I5 Damage, any of the members?

[jdarkoregon]

Don't we have some people up in Washington, like in Chalais sp? How are they doing, anybody heard!

That flooding sure looks bad

John

[halfdome, Danny]

This was in my email today. They live on a beautiful piece of land and last summer we watched a steam train go by their home. This is a really great couple, I wish them well. Danny
Hello everyone - It is with a heavy heart that the report on the status of Steve and Peggy B*****'s home in Chehalis is very, very bad. They have lost everything to the recent floodwaters. Past floods have never reached their house. This one had more than a couple of feet inside the house. All the cars were lost. The tractors and other farm equipment are gone. The Spartan trailer they recently purchased and were in the process of restoring for future placement on recreational property was destroyed and actually moved from where it was parked. Their teardrop trailer was ruined. Steve says the Model A will be resurrected - it's one he's owned since he was 16. Water reached the seat in that car.
What a tragedy - especially in their retirement years and just before Christmas. They sure need our thoughts and good wishes!!

Sadly reporting - Marty

Our good friends Steve and Peggy B**** were attending a conference in San Diego when the storm hit Chehalis. They were to travel to Mexico for a warm vacation, when they heard that their property had been flooded. According to Marty Boehme, who somehow got through to them, B*****s' animals are safe because they weren't at home, but their home, outbuildings, and ALL their vehicles are damaged. I will forward any news we receive to you ASAP. In the meantime, keep Steve and Peggy and all the others who suffered loss in your prayers. Rod and Trudy
This is what their teardrop looked like this past 4 th of July.

[Mike B]

You have my condolences on the damage suffered by the storm. Over here in the Idaho Panhandle, the storm did damage, but not like over there. We got enough rain over here to erase the 4 inches of snow we had received the week before. And we have had a couple of nasty days with black ice after the storm, but that's about it.

Now the temp is back to normal - 19 degrees tonight.

Mike
Hayden Lake, ID

[apratt]

Sorry to hear about Steve and Peggy. Yes they do live near the Chehalis river that has flooded big time. My home is fine as I live way up on a hill but my daughter who live in Chehalis got flooded also she had a little over a foot of water into her house. What a mess!!!

[jdarkoregon]

Arthur, great to hear you are okay, Sorry to hear about so much pain in your town.

I hope you can help those who need it. Take care

John

[mikeschn]

Sorry to hear about Steve and Peggy.

Mike...

[halfdome, Danny]

No date has been set yet but it looks like there will be a clean up crew for Steve & Peggy from 2 emails received today. Danny

[rainjer]

No date has been set yet but it looks like there will be a clean up crew for Steve & Peggy from 2 emails received today. Danny

Danny, please keep me In the loop if you can. I will try to make some time to hook up the trailer & head down come ti help.

Jeremy

[halfdome, Danny]

Jeremy, I'll look up you email if it's on Trudy's list and forward anything I get to you.
If she doesn't have your email PM me with it. Danny

[Randy G]

Hello everyone - It is with a heavy heart that the report on the status of Steve and Peggy B*****'s home in Chehalis is very, very bad. They have lost everything All the cars were lost. The tractors and other farm equipment are gone. Their teardrop trailer was ruined. Steve says the Model A will be resurrected - it's one he's owned since he was 16. Water reached the seat in that car.
What a tragedy - especially in their retirement years and just before Christmas. They sure need our thoughts and good wishes!!

Sadly reporting - Marty

In the meantime, keep Steve and Peggy and all the others who suffered loss in your prayers. Rod and Trudy


Im really sorry to read this news. I know it is a huge loss. It takes alot of work to clean things. We have done it several times living here on the coast. Prayers are for you, randy

[jdarkoregon]

Marty, thanks for the update. Your part of Oregon was hit really hard too, are yo doing okay?

Danny, Please keep all of us in the loop for the work party, I'm a couple hours south and might be able to get away too.

Thanks John

[halfdome, Danny]

From Marty
Hello everyone - I've just returned to MY WONDERFUL HOME from the B*****s. What a disaster at their house!! Things are indeed GRIM for them at this point of their lives. The Model A has insurance as well as comprehensive on their two other cars. And, that's it. It's hard to describe the destruction I saw not only to their home but all the others in the neighborhood.
All along the roads leading to their home were other homeowners digging out. Just piles and piles of ruined belongings piled in their yards. The same was seen in the B*****s driveway. There were also a couple of trailers just heaped high with all sorts of ruined stuff. A big pile of soggy carpets was being added to by the volunteer friends as they dragged them out of the bedrooms, through the living room and out the front door. Everything is the bedrooms were still wringing wet. Closets had stuff wet and muddy still hanging in them. Steve and helpers were dragging mattress after mattress through the rooms out the back door. The only thing left in the living room was the big player piano no doubt too big to easily get through the door. The small family room at the back of the house was a dirty and muddy mess with books and other stuff scattered about. The grandfather clock was still in the kitchen sitting forlornly against one wall. Even though all the floors had the mud scrapped up, they were still wet and muddy. About the only thing that escaped damage was the microwave sitting on a counter.
The B***** driveway had been cleaned of the thick, pudding-like mud. The surrounding lawns had the same mud on them. The back deck had been lifted up by the floodwaters and needs to be leveled out on its foundation as it is tilted. The hot tub had floated up and settled down 90 degrees from its proper place. Most fences were down because the floodwaters had gathered weeds on them to where the current caused them to topple over. I have a picture of one of their shrubs with a debris line clearly showing how height the water had risen.
The driveway to the barn had the mud scrapped off it. But everything in the barn was covered with mud. Their pickup that had been in the barn had a large bale of hay in the back and you see where the water had soaked it. I went into the Spartan trailer that was sitting next to the barn. It looked like the water had crept up on the walls about a foot. Some of the mud on the floor had been scrapped out. But the kitchen was blocked by the refrigerator that had fallen over when the current had moved the trailer and was leaning against the counter. I could see past it into the bedroom area. It looked like the bedding had not been soaked. In fact, I felt the top of a padded stool in the living room area and found that it was not wet.
Of interest to me was the teardrop trailer. At first glance, it looked pretty good until I looked into the galley. The lid was up and looked good. All the drawers were out and contents removed. Steve told me that Rod Glassett was driving down from Anacortes to pick it up. Hopefully, he can bring it back to 100% condition. The TD was parked in the garage closest to the house. This garage was filled with lots photos and other keepsakes being dried out. A heater was just starting to heat the garage when I arrived. More stuff that needs drying out will no doubt be added.
During the drive into their neighborhood we saw destruction everywhere. Houses, garages and businesses in a nearby town had parts of walls pushed out by the river. Streets were buckled and practically washed out. A nearby railroad had part of its roadbed washed out to where you could see the rails hanging in midair. Occasionally dead animals could be seen laying in the fields. Steve had some in his fields. Fortunately they were not his. Steve told me of a neighbor had to shoot his drowning horses.
Steve and Peggy are in dire straits right now. They are lovely and loving people and have the same kinds of friends living in the local area. I talked to one lady who had gone to school with them. It's wonderful to have friends like they have who are willing to help Steve and Peggy who so graciously also give of themselves.
Most of you have received Steve's e-mail. It will be many months before they are ready to move back into their home. With nowhere to store stuff, he is asking that you contact him directly about furniture you can donate. Fortunately, he told me about friends of his that are moving out of the area and want Steve and Peggy to have their household furniture. Also, please contact him about other things to you would want to donate. They already have received bails of paper towels and toilet paper.
Their phone does not work at the house yet. Steve can't get on the net yet without it. To talk to him directly you can call him at his cell phone at 360-520-0911.

Take care everyone and please value what you have in a house and life!!! - Marty
call Steve