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Early this morning, landslides closed highways in the hills east and west of Portland, and a woman in the Columbia River Gorge was washed away by debris and is still missing.
Jennifer Camus Moore, 50, of Warrenton, Ore., was driving east on Interstate 84 early Wednesday morning when her car was swept away by a landslide. KOIN 6 first reported the story of her husband, who says she disappeared as they were driving on the highway in separate cars. In KOIN's account, the man said conditions were so extreme he didn't see which direction she went.
Multnomah County sheriff's deputies are evacuating all residents from the small town of Dodson, about an hour east of Portland in the Gorge. First responders are searching for anyone caught in the landslides.
Eastbound Interstate 84 is now closed indefinitely, starting at the Troutdale exit.
In Portland, the Barbara Walker Crossing over West Burnside Street and surrounding areas are also closed. Photos show a large fir tree has fallen onto the pedestrian bridge connecting two portions of the Wildwood Trail in the West Hills. The city expects this closure to last at least a week, according to a press release.
City Hall urges people to avoid these areas while trees and other debris gets cleared up and potential electrical dangers are inspected. Urban foresters are responding to at least 100 reports of fallen trees and are working on the most hazardous ones first.
As WW reported Tuesday, the atmospheric river that engulfed Oregon this week created dangerous conditions for landslides, especially in places like the Gorge that recently burned in wildfires.