At the Bottom of an Atmospheric River, Living Outdoors Was Miserable

Amid an atmospheric river that turned Southeast Portland intersections to lakes, city contractor Rapid Response Bioclean carried out the latest sweep of the reestablished Laurelhurst Park homeless encampment.

Nearly 3 inches of rain in less than 48 hours made for miserable outdoor living across the city.

Between Southeast 92nd Avenue and Interstate 205 stood a houseless encampment of about 30 tents, resting on either side of a jogging path. The only signs of life were the smoke from makeshift funnels and the gentle rustling of movement within the tents. Most campers had moved their domiciles onto the steep slopes along the jogging path to escape the puddles. A restless pup sat atop a pile of discarded belongings, barking at intruders.

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But nowhere was so bleak as the removal of the camp along one of Portland’s iconic parks, conducted as scheduled despite the foul weather.

The small operation on a Friday afternoon saw a meager crew of three red raincoat-bedecked Bioclean employees, and no resistance. The trio bagged up belongings and loaded them into a cargo van in near silence.

At the end, one man was left, drenched in rain, slowly removing his belongings. “I’m just going to move around the corner, and come back later,” the houseless man said, without evident emotion. “It’s just the game we have to play.”