CORBETT, Ore. — East Multnomah County began to make some progress toward recovery Monday and Tuesday after Saturday's damaging winter storm, but many residents said they fear conditions could go from bad to worse once the expected freezing rain moves in Tuesday evening.
“Ice is the worst thing out here. Snow is not that big a deal, but ice is the worst because once it is here, it is here,” said Corbett resident Bobby Sanderson.
The small community of Corbett near the Columbia River Gorge struggled without power and water throughout the weekend. Many residents set up generators, but even so, the inside of one home got so cold the residents said a bucket of water started to freeze. At Crown Point RV Park, almost everybody left after several days with no electricity.
"I would say 90% of them have gone and gotten rooms or gone and stayed with families," said park owner Chip Kessinger. "Everybody hunkered down as long as they could, but once the generators weren't cooperating, that was the end of it."
The nearby Corbett Country Market got by with a back-up generator, with a string of extension cords lining the floor.
"It’s enough to power the registers and enough to power credit card machines," explained employee Crystal Gragg.
Crews are working to fix the power problem, and water service has been restored after a car crash and frozen equipment took it offline.
"Having a shower would be nice. It's been like three days and I'm ready for a shower," said Sanderson.
Water service has been restored in Corbett, although a boil water notice is still in effect until water quality testing is completed, according to the Corbett Water District. Unfortunately, residents said a lot of people can’t boil their water because they have no power. In some cases, water pipes are also frozen.
The water district has been working to make drinking water available to residents, and a warming center was set-up at the Corbett Fire station.