Corbett may take 'months to recover' from winter storm, fire department says

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As last week's winter storm hit the Columbia River Gorge especially hard, residents in Corbett are still recovering with ongoing power outages and water issues. Now, school will be canceled for another day with no classes on Tuesday.

"This will be a storm that will take many months to recover from," Corbett Fire Lt. Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky said.

Days after the worst of the winter storm, parts of Corbett are still feeling the brunt of it, with roads coated in ice slow to thaw and others working to get their power back. The team at Corbett Fire was there for all of it.

"The snow, the cold temperatures, the power outages, followed by the ice. We went on far more calls than we normally do. We're an all-volunteer department here at Corbett Fire," Zimmer-Stucky said.

While responding to calls typical for their department in a storm – chimney fires, carbon monoxide reports, etc – the Corbett Fire Dept. also did everything from plowing roads for ambulances to get through, to helping out fellow neighbors in need – all while many were without power or dealing with tree damage at their own homes.

"We ended up not only providing typical emergency services like fire, medical, motor vehicle accidents, that all come when storms hit, but also ended up driving water to people, providing food to folks who were unable to leave their homes," Zimmer-Stucky said.

The rural community was also faced with issues like no water as line leaks and burst pipes hit their reservoirs, adding a challenge for those with livestock, as well as the addition of people living miles from each other in some parts, along with long driveways and steep hills.

"People simply can't walk to the grocery store or walk to their neighbor's house to get water, get food, get warmth," Zimmer-Stucky said.

Schools will remain closed on Tuesday. Meanwhile, power crews are still working to restore to those without electricity for more than a week. As clean-up starts, another winter storm sometime down the line is not far from their minds.

"This can be a learning moment but also recognize that a lot of people are still experiencing really severe hardships," Zimmer-Stucky said. "Was there something that you wish your family had to get through the past few weeks, backup food supply, backup power source."

The Corbett Water District has a boil water notice for a few streets including: Henkle, Northway, Christensen, Center, Stevens, Bell, EHCRH west of 34300, 33904 SE Smith, and customers west of Kimbly on Hurlburt Road. The rest of Corbett's water is safe to drink. The boil water notice could last until Wednesday when they expect sample results to be returned.