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January 1, 2006
By STEVE KADEL
H&N Staff Writer
The Klamath Basin enjoyed a reprieve from heavy rains Saturday as weather
watchers braced for another storm due today.
“We're not seeing any flooding now, although we are
seeing high water,” Dewaine Holster said Saturday afternoon.
The Chiloquin Agency Lake Fire District chief said neither the Sprague nor
Williamson rivers had crested their banks. That prompted safety officials to
pull back from setting up a command center in Chiloquin.
Holster has been monitoring water levels on the Sprague River from milepost 15
on Sprague River Road downstream to the Williamson River and on to Upper
Klamath Lake. Projections show the Sprague could rise within a foot of flood
stage today.
Anyone needing information about conditions should call 783-2470, Holster
said.
“The potential (for flooding) is there,” he said. “The Sunday storm
doesn't look like it has the moisture that Friday's storm had, but people need
to be alert.”
Holster said one family in the Chiloquin area had moved out of their home as
of Saturday due to flooding concerns. The couple, which he described as in
their 50s, lives in a particularly low-lying area.
The fire chief said it is critical that anyone who evacuates their residence notify the local fire department. That's important so fire officials can account for where people are, and so they will be able to contact evacuees.
Holster said rain in Chiloquin Saturday morning turned to snow by 3 p.m.
The snow melted when it hit the ground.
“The problem is all the warming and rain, and the ground is saturated in
some places,” Holster said. “In some places the ground is frozen and water
is just standing.”
Bill Thompson, Klamath County emergency manager, said standing water exists
throughout the county “in all the usual places.” He urged motorists to
seek alternative routes if they encounter questionable conditions.
Klamath Falls experienced a little of everything
Saturday, from rain and brief snow showers to an occasional glimpse of blue
sky.
The National Weather Service forecast calls for 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight
in the Basin, and rain showers are likely Monday.
If Basin residents are fearful of being trapped in their homes by rising
water, it wasn't evident at the Beatty Country Store on Saturday. Clerk Shari
Willis said no one was stocking up on emergency supplies.
“People who live out here are used to snow,” she said. “We've had hail,
snow and rain today. We just had some blue sky, if you can believe that.”
Willis said there was “real bad” flooding Friday
on Bly Mountain. Few motorists had come through Beatty from that direction on
Saturday, she said.
Interstate 5 was closed Friday between Hilt, Calif., and Ashland because of
flash flooding and a series of landslides. Both lanes of the highway opened
again at noon Saturday.
A spokesman for the Oregon Department of
Transportation said one southbound lane of the interstate had backed up for 10
miles during the closure.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office rescued an elderly couple from their cabin
along the Rogue River on Saturday. The man and woman, who were not identified,
were trapped by high water and had no light or heat in their cabin.
The turbulent water prevented sheriff's personnel from reaching the stranded
seniors by boat, Sgt. Pat Rowland said in a press release. Instead, a
helicopter was used to evacuate both people safely.
The woman told sheriff's deputies she had lived more than 70 years without a
helicopter ride, and was looking forward to the experience, Rowland said.
