Northwest Cheesemaker Storm Damage Roundup

Last week's storm caused widespread damage to homes and businesses across Oregon and Washington. Area cheesemakers suffered varying amounts of damage from winds, power outages and flooding depending on their area. Below is a summary of information I've gathered to date - email me if you have more information and/or questions.

Oregon and Washington Coast

Rivers Edge Chevre (Logsden, Oregon)
Experienced power outages for several days, a pony shelter was toppled by wind, otherwise OK.

Tillamook Cooperative Creamery (multiple dairies in Tillamook County, Oregon)
Prolonged power outages and wind damage, some flooding. Avoided major problems.

Jumpin' Good Goat Dairy (Ocean Park, Washington)
Winds on the Long Beach Peninsula clocked in excess of 130 mph. Lost power for 5 days; many downed trees on property. Put down one injured goat but otherwise avoided major damage.

Estrella Family Creamery (Montesano, Washington)
Lost the roof to a recently completed goat barn, have plenty of repairs to do but otherwise avoided major damage.

West-Central Washington

Black Sheep Creamery (Adna, Washington)
Hit hard by floodwaters from the Chehalis River, which flows adjacent to their property. Brad and Meg Gregory lost all but 23 of their sheep, and their home and barn were inundated with several feet of water. Cleanup efforts are ongoing - see their website for updates.

Twin Oaks Dairy (Adna, Washington)
Reportedly lost all but one goat, several cows dead and several sick. The Howells are located just a few miles from Black Sheep Creamery. See a brief article about Twin Oaks here.

Blue Rose Dairy (Winlock, Washington)
House and facilities mostly intact; water everywhere, cellar flooded but house and animals on high enough ground to avoid significant damage.

La Ferme de Metras/Willapa Hills Dairy (Doty, Washington)
Escaped major problems. Chehalis River flooding came close but did not reach animals or facilities.

For more information about general conditions and recovery efforts consult area newspaper sites:
Oregonian
The Daily Astorian (Astoria, WA)
The Chronicle (Centralia, WA)

Comments

[Michele Wells]

To all of the cheesemakers on the Oregon and Washington coasts, I can sympathize with your situation, because I was there in Manzanita, Oregon, for the storm. What was supposed to be a few days of relaxation on that beautiful coast turned into a disastrous few days for us, but we managed to get gas in our car -- thanks to the valiant efforts of a few citizens in Seaside, Oregon, who own the Chevron station there -- and inched our way back to Portland via Astoria.

As we passed downed trees, flooded farm fields and mud-soaked pastures, I kept wondering how all the farm animals fared during the storm and its aftermath. I'm very sad to hear that many of you lost your animals.

I wish you all good luck in the coming weeks. It was truly a devastating storm.

Michele Wells, Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, Colorado