I live in the Pacific Northwest and the last several weeks have been very tragic and difficult for the citizens of Oregon and Washington. Our region has been in the center of the National News for the better part of the last 60-days with one tragic story after another.
Oregon and Washington started the month of December 2006, recovering from one of the wettest November’s in history. Major roads were closed due to mudslides and collapse, houses were destroyed on riverbanks where they have stood for decades, and we had snow abnormally early. Areas of both states have been declared as emergency disaster zones freeing up services and financial support.
December started with the news of the missing San Francisco Lee family. Lost in the Oregon wilderness. While the mother and two daughters were found and rescued, tragically the father died of hypothermia while looking for help on foot. The family had been stranded for days, before Mr Lee set out to find help. Reports indicate that he traveled more then 15 miles in ice and snow before he was overcome with the elements.
The Lee Family was found just as the worst windstorm in over a decade hit the Pacific Northwest, knocked out power to more then 1.5 million homes and businesses, and killed at least 12 people.
Six members of a Gresham, Oregon family were lucky to survive after a generator in their attached garage filled their house with carbon monoxide during the power failure. Yesterday four members of a family were found in their home dead, of carbon monoxide poisoning. When they were found Monday inside their Burien, WA home (Suburb South of Seattle) it was too late to help four of the family members but a fifth, grown son identified as Cahn Tran, was taken to Harborview Medical Center, he was in critical condition last night.
The most devastating news during the past several weeks has to be the 3-Mt Hood Climbers. I live with a view of the North Side of Mt Hood, and South View of Mt St Helens, it has been brilliant and clear the past several days. Our news has been filled with the Rescue attempts of the missing climbers, sadly, loss of life on Mt Hood is not uncommon, and a story we seem to live out every few years. Every person in this area feels pain and grief when we lose climbers on Mt Hood. We take these losses very personally and despite some of the debate that goes on life-lost on Mt. Hood is tragic to each of us. Our prayers go out to the families of the missing climbers. We all express our sympathy to the family of Kelly James.
Last week a missing woman from John Day Oregon was found dead in her pickup near Prineville Oregon. Missing for several days Kathleen M. “Kittie” Lemcke’s pickup hit a bridge abutment, flipped and landed upside-down. Lemcke, a 48-year-old mother was returning home after spending two nights at the bedside of one of her daughters at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, when the crash took her life on the icy roads.
It’s been hard for all of us here in this corner of the United States. Saturday night a power substation blew up for unknown reasons, there is a major water line broken in downtown Portland and my husband and I are still waiting for the roofing company to call and come see the damage the wind caused our roof when it ripped about a 4 by 6 section of our second story asphalt shingle roof. The tar paper is flapping in the wind.
All of these events have insurance implications. As tragic as each story is, there are valuable lessons for each of us to gain. There are also risk management and insurance strategies that can be understood. Over the next few weeks, the Blogs will discuss several of these situations and some of the things that may have resulted in different outcomes.
Related Blogs:
- Five Tips For Driving on Icy, Slippery or Snow Covered Roads.
- Mitigating Claims Damages–What Does That Mean?
- Safe Holiday Shopping Tips
Glossary of Insurance Terms:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J-K | L | M | N | O | P | Q-R | S | T | U-V | W-Z
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