PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Clackamas County is facing a triple threat Thursday night as flood warnings hit at least three different rivers and major creeks.
Molalla officials said the city could soon find itself cut off if those rivers — the Clackamas River, the Pudding River and Johnson Creek — rise further.
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The National Weather Service predicts Johnson Creek will rise above flood stage in Sycamore Thursday afternoon, and the Clackamas River near Estacada is expected to reach major flood stage later in the night.
But for the city, the impacts are already mounting.
Utility crews have been working along Hwy 213 between Molalla and Oregon City, repairing downed power lines after trees fell in high winds.
Portland General Electric reported widespread outages across Clackamas County with some residents going into a second day without power. The conditions prompted the Molalla River School District to cancel class Thursday as city officials ask residents to prepare for the next round of flooding.
“If the Molalla River and some of those other rivers actually reach flood stage, we would still become isolated,” Molalla City Manager Dan Huff said. “That’s why we become this island surrounded by water, and you can’t get out.”
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Huff said crews are closely monitoring water intake and drainage systems, which can quickly become clogged with debris in fast-moving water.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office is urging people to avoid flooded roads, stay away from downed power lines, never drive through standing water, and treat dark traffic signals as four-way stops.
Meanwhile, in southwest Beaverton, neighbors told KOIN 6 News they saw the aftermath of people trying to drive through roads with standing water.
“Two days ago, someone got stuck coming and they tried to do it, and there was an electric car and they had to tow it. So it’s not very, not very wise to go through something that you can’t see,” said Mike Bailey. “There’s a ditch on both sides and I saw people coming around. They don’t know there’s a ditch there and they just flop right into it. So we pulled a couple of people out of there.”
In Detroit, Oregon, Marion County officials are warning people to be aware of crews that may be parked on the side of the road amid heavy rain and low visibility. Crews are currently responding to hundreds of downed trees in the area.
Officials said this round of heavy rain is raising red flags. Without snowpack to slow it down, all that water is going straight to local rivers.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
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