Ice storm wreaks havoc in Portland, closes school for weeks

In the third week of January, winter storms caused collapsed trees, iced roads, and prolonged power outages, and students at DDHS missed four days of school two weeks before semester finals.

Due to the January ice storms most schools were closed down, not just David Douglas. Power outages, frozen roads, frozen pipelines, and damages to infrastructure were the many factors that contributed to the cancellation of schools and after school sports practice.

Trees were uprooted by the wind, causing massive damage during and after the ice storm, destroying roads, houses, cars, and causing power outages. The trees that weren’t fallen had their tree branches frozen, making them fragile and risks possible falling debris. 

In East Portland, three people were killed and a baby was injured when a tree branch snapped and fell upon a powerline, breaking and scattering the live wires around the road. In an attempt to exit their vehicle safely with the baby they slipped and came into contact with the live wires and electrocuted. 

The baby was saved by 18 year old Majiah Washington. As she watched the events unfold, calling for EMS, she noticed the baby's head move. Upon realizing the baby was still alive, Washington left her house to rescue the baby, crouching down the entire time to avoid slipping. She reached the dead father, and got ahold of the baby, bringing them to safety. Her heroism was praised by Portland Fire and Rescue Spokesman Rick Graves, according to AP News). 

Power outages were a common occurrence during the storm. Portland General Electric and Pacific Power reported that 200,000 households had no power throughout the states. Over 1000 power company workers worked across Oregon to restore power. Some houses were reported to have a maximum of five days without power. There were reports of powers getting restored then immediately losing power the day after due to harsh weather conditions ramping up. This resulted in workers waiting till Friday to recover power once the weather calmed down. 

At DDHS, there won’t necessarily be make-up days, and rescheduling of tests and quizzes were left up to the teacher. If there are make up days the school would announce through emails to notify parents and students ahead of time.