Oregon woman fears she’ll have to move after TEN trees toppled onto her historic $1.4M home during storm, pierced the roof of her property and cut off her water and electricity
An Oregon woman is facing the terrifying possibility of having to leave her historic $1.4 million home after more than a dozen trees fell on her home during a storm.
Gaylene Runey, a Washington County resident, stayed behind were without power for more than a week after the devastating storm.
When her electricity was finally restored on Friday, the aftermath of falling trees has now left her without water and heat.
Frozen pipes are now adding to her challenges, and while power is being restored, restoring other essential services remains an ongoing battle.
Runey said she is both physically and emotionally exhausted by the ordeal.
Gaylene Runey of Washington County was without power for more than a week and then found herself without water and heat after more than a dozen trees fell on her home
She fears she will leave her historic $1.4 million home of 47 years after trees pierced the roof of her property and cut off her water and electricity.
She was napping in her bedroom when she noticed the trees starting to fall.
“I looked up and saw trees falling,” she told KPTV. “I hit the deck. I landed on the ground and waited to be impaled. Then it was quiet.’
Her property, which has a creek running through it, has suffered multiple tree falls, causing extensive damage to her home.
“I was always afraid a tree was going to fall,” she told the outlet. “I never dreamed I’d have ten.”
She believes the creek loosened the soil and caused some trees to fall. At least 13 trees fell on her property, she said.
“I’m exhausted and my mind is hard to calm down,” she told KPTV.
Although she has lived in the house for 47 years, extensive storm damage has led her to consider leaving the family home.
The four-bedroom, three-bathroom, 6,870-square-foot home sits on 1.7 acres and is estimated to be worth $1,358,284, according to Redfin.
Recent weather in the Portland metro area has presented numerous challenges, leaving cleanup crews and residents with significant work ahead of them.
“Right now I’m ready to say, ‘Don’t make it a big deal,’ and deal with it later,” she said.
The damage is taking a toll on her wallet, she added.
‘I definitely need help to get through this. It’s hard,” Runey told KPTV. “I’ve got to find a bag of money somewhere.”
Despite the overwhelming list of challenges, Runey maintained a sense of optimism and recognized the importance of staying positive during the hardships.
Frozen pipes are now adding to her challenges, and even though power is back, restoring essential services remains an ongoing battle
“If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry,” she told her mother.
Images taken by Runey and shared on Facebook show the brutal extent of the damage.
Viewers expressed their sadness and devastation at the serious extent of the destruction.
“Oh dear laweez! And now comes the ice cream,” one user commented.
Another chose to stay positive, saying: ‘Good side: it looks like the windows weren’t broken.’
Last week, a deadly winter storm that caused chaos across the U.S. with tornadoes, snow, rain and flooding swept into the Northeast.
The storm knocked out power to more than 500,000 people in the region, including those in New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Snow and ice cover the St. Joseph Lighthouses as waves crash along the Lake Michigan ice shelf formed along Tiscornia Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan, on January 17, 2024
Snow-covered cars in West Seneca, New York, on January 17, 2024
The wind blew snow across the SW Pacific Highway in Portland, Oregon, on January 13, 2024.
At least 60 fatalities have been reported in recent weeks as a result of the weather conditions. They include an 81-year-old woman who died in Alabama when the storm spawned tornadoes in the Southeast on Jan. 9. The same system caused snow and travel headaches in the Midwest.
The mid-Atlantic has experienced heavy rain and flooding. In North Carolina, more than 170,000 people lost power during the day due to the storm. Parts of historic Alexandria, Virginia, were underwater as floodwaters filled the streets.
Due to the storm, all 50 states were placed under a weather alert.
Of the 60 deaths, several fatalities have been attributed to hypothermia and car crashes on icy roads as arctic conditions grip the country. Tens of millions of people are facing the bitter cold of snowstorms set to continue next week.
A power line fell on a parked car in northeast Portland on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm that made roads and mountain highways treacherous in the Pacific Northwest.