Winds cut swath through rural areas.Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard Schools lost power and didn't open in the McKenzie School District and fallen trees closed Highway 126 for 12 hours near Walton after a windy weather system passed over the area late Thursday and early Friday. In Eugene, Marlene Jewell counted her blessings when a cedar tree fell in her yard on West Eighth Avenue around midnight, missing her bedroom by 4 feet. "I was born on Friday the 13th Friday the 13th regarded as unlucky day. [Western Folklore: Misc.] See : Luck, Bad ," Jewell said. "I've always been lucky." Utility officials said snow and ice storms in December and on New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. lowered the potential for trouble by taking down trees and branches that were ready to fall. In a few instances, the latest windstorm wind·storm n. A storm with high winds or violent gusts but little or no rain. windstorm A storm with high winds or violent gusts but little or no rain. finished the work of the earlier storms. "There's a lot of saturated ground and weak trees from the snow and ice storms. Sometimes it doesn't even take a wind to knock them down," said Joe McFadden, spokesman for the Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative. Falling trees slowed traffic to one lane on Highway 126 about six miles west of Walton until crews finished clearing the road around noon. Power wasn't restored to the McKenzie School District buildings until 9:30 a.m., too late to warm the buildings for the day, so they were closed, a spokesman said. Almost 400 customers in scattered areas of the 450-square-mile service area of the Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative were affected. Utility crews were called out as the weather system arrived around 10:30 p.m. Thursday and all the power was restored by noon Friday, he said. Hardest hit were residents in the Marcola, Lowell and Cottage Grove Cottage Grove, village (1990 pop. 22,935), Washington co., SE Minn., near the St. Croix River; inc. 1965. There is farming (cattle, sheep, corn, and soybeans) and manufacturing (chemicals and machinery). areas served by the Emerald People's Utility District. Outages darkened dark·en v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make dark or darker. b. To give a darker hue to. 2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy. 3. and chilled about 1,500 customers, but power was restored to all but a few scattered areas by mid-day, utility spokeswoman Judith Manning said. About 130 customers of the Lane Electric Cooperative were in the dark, including a cluster of Oakridge residents whose power was taken down by a large tree Friday morning, utility spokesman Dave D'Avanzo said. All damage was expected to be fixed by nightfall Friday, he said. The metropolitan area was least affected. The Eugene Water & Electric Board and the Springfield Utility Board reported only scattered outages. CAPTION(S): Marlene Jewell considered herself a lucky woman even before a falling tree missed hitting her home during Friday morning's wind and rain storm. The 100-foot tree missed the corner of her house and a portable toilet A portable toilet is a modern, portable, self-contained outhouse manufactured of molded plastic in a variety of colors and are often used as a temporary toilet for construction sites and large social gatherings. on an adjoining construction site, but flattened flat·ten v. flat·tened, flat·ten·ing, flat·tens v.tr. 1. To make flat or flatter. 2. To knock down; lay low: The boxer was flattened with one punch. a fence between the two properties. Thomas Boyd Thomas Boyd may be
|
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion