As devastating storms ravage the Washington and Oregon coasts bringing heavy rain and hurricane-force winds, many MSU students are staying in close touch with their family members affected by the storms.
“I’ve been keeping in contact with my dad. (I thought about) my relatives when I first heard about the storm,” said marketing sophomore Jordan Holmgren, who has an aunt and uncle living in Bellingham, Wash., a city affected by the storm.
Widespread flooding in areas of the Pacific Northwest, as well as reports of mudslides, are the result of back-to-back storms that hit the area Sunday and Monday.
Jeff Andresen, an associate professor in the Department of Geography, said meteorologists were surprised by the flood’s intensity.
“The particular events of this week were unusual in terms of severity,” Andresen said. “They certainly are part of the climate of the Pacific Northwest, but this one was exceptionally powerful.
“It definitely was an extreme event.”
Andresen added that although there was evidence of a storm in the making, the length and severity of the event are what caught everyone off guard.
For nutritional sciences freshman Lisa Van Bladeren, whose grandparents live in Knappa, Ore., the adverse weather brings feelings of uncertainty.
“You know that any second, something bad could happen,” Van Bladeren said.
Her relatives told her about wind gusts of up to 100 mph and power outages in their town since Saturday.
Imagining area-wide devastation is difficult because she was born in Portland, Ore., and grew up in Longview, Wash.
“It’s a very beautiful area, and just to think that the storm can wipe it away in no time is pretty scary,” Van Bladeren said.
Staff writer Crystal O’Reilly contributed to this report.
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