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An update on Drift Creek Camp, by Brenda Kauffman, December 11 We made lots of progress over the weekend. Camp is now accessible again. Byron Shenk, Andy McGee and Ryan Nisly ran chainsaws for much of Saturday until a path was wide enough to drive through. The tree still needs to be removed from the camp truck and there is a lot of debris to clean up. We could use help with cleaning up the moss and broken branches and splitting the wood. Along with clearing a path, I am happy to say that Ken Snyder and Glen Oesch were able to locate where the water line had broken when another tree was uprooted. That problem is now fixed and we have water again. Because the caretakers were evacuated and do not plan to return to camp, there is a lot of cleaning in the lodge and in their former houses that needs to be done. We are hoping to have a work crew at DCC this Saturday to chop wood and clean the lodge. If anyone wants to help they can email or call (infodriftcreek.org or 541-992-2556.) Donations will gladly be accepted. The simplest for us is a check to Drift Creek Camp. Mailed to: P.O. Box 1110 Lincoln City, OR 97367 On-line donations are also accepted through Mennonite Church USA. It is really great to feel supported by the conference and friends of Drift Creek Camp. We are grateful for the helping hands who have been willing to donate their labor to the clean-up effort. Thanks again, Brenda Success at Camp, by Ken Snyder, December 8 This morning Andy McKee, Ryan Nisly, Glen Oesch and I headed into camp. Byron Shenk and his saw, and Brenda came mid day. Forest Service did good work on the road all the way to camp. Normal traffic can easily get through now!!! Glen and I worked on finding the water system problem and found a tree up the hill from camp had uprooted and taken the water line out with it. It's roots in the air accompanied by a broken end of our pipe up in the air also. After a trip back to town for 30 feet of new pipe and several elbows and couplers, we have water in the system at camp again. And Andy, Byron, and Ryan succeeded in getting the drive way opened up. WE ARE IN BUSINESS!! The insurance adjuster who assured us that our vehicles and all will be covered, after seeing the situation, told Brenda that we won't be able to be in business till mid January. Did we have business loss insurance? A sentiment shared by a Forest Service guy who also talked to Brenda. They just don't know us Mennonites. And the phones works. What more could we need? And, oh yes, Anna has pulled in a donated van for us. A little old but running we are assured. It will help until we get the insurance money and can do better! Given how bad things could have been with all this, what can we say? GOD IS GOOD!! Ken Rescuing the Oggs, by Ken Snyder, December 5 Update on Situation At Camp Yesterday was a long day! Seth Ediger and I left Salem at 8:00 and headed for camp around by Corvallis since Highway 18 was still closed. We had hopes, from information from Tony Monday night, that Steve Ogg and a crew were ahead of us blazing a way in. We were able to go up directly from Highway 101 the usual route instead of the detour from Taft past the recycle plant Steve had suggested. Steve's efforts to get in the day before were soon obvious. He hadn't actually "cleared" the road, but with careful weaving through debris we could get past his log cutting all the way up to the ridge where you "T" to the left. But soon we were at the place he had had to give up. First a couple trees, then large tangles of trees and branches. Seth and I both had chain saws, but his turned out to be very dull, and then totally dysfunctional. Mine was sharp and did good, but lost its muffler, and my ears still feel like they are damaged despite the wadded tissue I stuffed in them, not having had the foresight to take adequate ear protection. We started cutting and dragging wood off the road at around 10:30 and after about 1 1/2 hours reached the gravel road down to camp. Soon our hopes that Steve was ahead of us, but perhaps reaching that road from the other side, evaporated. What we went through up on the ridge turned out to be a small foretaste of what was ahead. Seth and I worked our way down about a mile or so till we were finally, and gratefully, joined by Steve and his friend Jeffrey, both with saws and pickups, and by Tony and Brenda and their children at 2:00 in the afternoon. My saw was quickly retired and we had as many as four fresh saws running the rest of the way in. But the "rest of the way" turned o ut to be long and brutal. We went through a massive amount of wood, hundreds of trees. And the last couple hours was in the dark using the headlights of our vehicles. Down at camp meanwhile, Ann with her children, minus Amy in Eugene, had no way of knowing whether her attempts to reach the outside world with an e-mail to Amy had succeeded. The night of the falling trees was terrifying in the extreme. After her attempts send the e-mail, she had a dial tone on the phone for a little and then that went dead. And for some reason the water system also went dead. They carried water from the creek and hunkered down in the lodge by the fireplace. The worst damage at camp was from the giant tree from sort of between the caretakers house and Yamhill cabin, not the really big tree along the path to Yamhill, which fell past the porch and across the drive way. The trunk, some three or four feet through, fell directly on the green camp truck, smashing it, with branches crashing on the Ogg's van and the camp's white utility pickup, and crushing the end of the little garage area of the house. The good news is that NO ONE WAS INJURED! Only very frightened. Vehicles can be replaced. People are another issue. No other buildings were damaged either, including the new cabins. Much as Ann worried about them injuring themselves, Steven and Timmy insisted on using the chain saw to free their van and the white pickup, both of which can start and run, though damaged. I doubt the white pickup is worth saving. They also cut the logs at the camp entrance from the road just enough for us to squeeze through. By the time we got there about 6:30, we were very happy for even that little they had done. None of us wanted to cut any more trees that night. We spent the next couple hours in a joyful reunion of Steve with his family and assuring Ann that those of us on the outside really were thinking about her and praying for her. Her fears, and ours, that the stress she was going through would trigger the baby coming, did not happen, and she is in good shape. Her fears that the baby may be in a breach position added to the concerns. Ann heated up some soup for us and the nourishment was timely. Then we loaded them all up, shut down the camp, and headed out. On the way out, as Ann saw what we had come through she relived fears she had of Steve out there trying dangerously to get in. He would not have made it without the rest of us helping. Now what? We need to talk with Forest Service about when they can get crews in to more adequately open the road so that more normal traffic can happen. For instance, Steve can't get his big trailer with all their belongings out the way the road is, even after we somehow get that giant tree cut through at the camp. And yes, how do we get that big tree cut up?? Fortunately, no one is scheduled to use the camp before Christmas. Tony and I will be talking about a game plan. We may need lots of help! And we need a couple new vehicles. By the way, I encourage you to let the Oggs know that they were/are in your thoughts and prayers. Steve did have his interview yesterday morning and seems to be a top person in the running for the job at Lebanon, but he was a little discouraged. Ken Situation at Camp, by Ken Snyder, December 3 This is to alert you that we have a storm situation at camp. This morning Ann got a message out to her daughter Amy by e-mail or something that a large tree fell early this morning by the caretakers house. Amy got ahold of Steve who has been doing jobs away from camp. Steve got in touch with me this afternoon as he headed toward camp. The report is that the tree smashed two vehicles, the Ogg van and the DCC green truck. No one hurt! Steve was going to cut his way into camp and then return to Lincoln City to phone me. I urged him to get his family away from camp for the night. I could not reach Tony and Brenda till just a little while ago due to their phones being out. Steve called a little while ago, back in Lincoln City. He didn't make it to camp. Said he cut through about 40 downed trees to the first camp sign. But it was getting dark and he didn't want to risk getting hit by a tree out there alone. On the way back down the hill, he had to cut through two more that had come down behind him. He is heading back to Eugene. He has a job interview at 8:00 in the morning, and must be there. It's their future at stake. So, no further word from Ann at camp. Phones out and possibly also the power. Steve said she is probably hunkered down in the lodge which they had discussed as the emergency plan. This has to be tough for this family!! I'm trying to reach Tony again but the lines out that way are jambed. I'm thinking that he and I should try to get in there in the morning. There should be at least two of us. And we will need good chain saws. Steve won't be able to get there till after noon. It would be foolish to try tonight. TV says the wind will be gone tonight. We all worry about having a very pregnant lady out there. Please keep the Oggs in your prayers in a very special way tonight! Ken |
