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Snow, ice storm blankets region JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Kinsley Nicholson jumps on a snowy trampoline.
Kelli Nicholson / The Chronicle
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
National Weather Service (NWS) Meteorologist Clinton Rockey acknowledged that the latest winter storm that ushered in snow, winds, ice and freezing rain across the region was a bit unusual. “What made it a bit more unusual is that this was a widespread impact storm event,” he said. “One of this magnitude definitely doesn’t come through this often.” Rocky said the series of systems, classified as prolonged weather events in the NWS’s advisories and warnings, combined a portion of a larger arctic air mass moving down into the United States with east winds traveling through the Columbia River Gorge and precipitation flowing in from the Pacific Ocean. “It was a perfect set up for the snow and ice,” he said. “The cold air was stationary and not moving and the continued rounds of pacific precipitation from Friday through Monday morning caused the snow and ice.” Rocky said points across the
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
Columbia River east into Washington saw 10 to 13 inches of snow. On the west side snow accumulations ranged from 8 in downtown St. Helens to 12 inches in Scappoose and more in the higher elevations surrounding Clatskanie and Rainier. Temperatures dipped into the teens and upper 20’s for much of Columbia County. Several local businesses closed Sunday due to the adverse weather. Most reopened Monday. Due to the Presidents’ Day holiday city, county and state offices were closed. The weather transition began shortly after 8 a.m. as the east winds through the gorge lessened and warmer air from the Pacific Ocean began flowing into Western Oregon. “We are now back to what’s more normal for our region this time of the year, mild temperatures with rain showers,” he said. Into the weekend and next week, Rockey said we can expect more mild conditions with the snow level above 4,000 feet. Across the region and in the Portland area, thousands were without electrical service, disrupted by the ice, winds and snow.
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
Snow blanketed neighborhoods in Columbia County Navigating the hills became challenging during the This traveler uses ski poles to get from here to there and throughout the region. See more photos on page storm in Columbia County. See more photos on page during the snowstorm. See more photos on page A10. A10. A10.
At Columbia River PUD, which serves much of the local area, spokesman Kyle Boggs told The Chronicle Monday morning that the utility had been receiving customer calls concerning power outages. “Calls have been coming in all morning and continue to,” he said. We had about 20 different outages that affected around 1,400 customers.” On Monday, Columbia PUD was working to restore power to approximately 1,000 customers following about 40 separate outages. “They have pretty much all been caused by trees or tree limbs coming down and knocking out power lines“ Boggs said. “We are continuing to receive calls from throughout the area, so the current numbers are fluid.” According to Boggs, all of the PUD’s crews had been working throughout the night to restore power “Typically, this involves identifying the trouble spot and then removing any limbs or debris from the line,” he said. “From there, they can go to work reconnecting power.” To reach Columbia River PUD, call 503-397-1844.
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
A large plow clears the snow along Columbia Boulevard in St. Helens. See more photos on page A10.
Cyberattack helps strengthen city’s security JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Just over one year ago, suspicious activity was detected within the City of St. Helens computer systems. A cyberattack was underway. What happened On Jan. 14, 2020, city of St. Helens officials posted an advisory on the city’s website that all of the city department phones, computers and emails were offline. The disruption affected all city departments, including city hall, public works, public library and the recreation center. The city’s online statement said Emergency 911 and the non-emergency dispatch, 503-397-1521, were still working. City spokesperson Crystal King said the city became aware of suspicious activity within its computer
network and that some data and programs were unavailable. “We promptly commenced an investigation and took the rest of our network offline in response,” King said. “We also engaged cybersecurity experts to assist with our investigation of the suspicious activity and to help restore access to programs and data within our network.” By Jan. 23, most city computer services had been restored and King said it did not appear that personal and sensitive data was compromised. “The goal is to block as many attacks as possible and have a plan in place to mitigate as much risks as you can and be prepared,” King told The Chronicle following the incident in January. New details Since the attack last January, King said the city has not experienced any further cyberattacks or
suspicious activity. King said the January 2020 cyberattack was first noticed by city employees. “The IT incident was triggered by an email which contained a corrupted attachment,” she said. Following the forensic review by the city’s IT team, King said it was discovered that no customer information or software systems that manage customer data were accessed. “The incident was found as soon as it started and our IT team was able to stop the incident before any data was actually taken.,” King said. “The community experienced a brief disruption in access to electronic city services as those systems were taken offline until an outside investigation firm confirmed that all software was clean. This included a brief shutdown of the city’s email server, phone system, and software which runs programs such as permitting and utility billing.”
King added that following the attack, the city conducted a broad investigation and took specific action to prevent further incidents. “All impacted computers were replaced, and the city purchased new software that was used to help clean and better protect the IT infrastructure after the incident,” King said. “The city also reviewed its IT policies for employees and implemented new guidelines along with a new IT service provider. As is the case with most IT incidents, it was not determined where the attack originated.” King said the city has also adopted an in-depth IT policy, which is reviewed, and ongoing staff training will be conducted as a way to stay current on best practices. “The city hired a new IT service provider and purchased new software to enhance IT security,” she said. “The city is still going through an IT upgrade process that should be completed by April at all city facilities.”
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
It’s been just over a year since the City of St. Helens services were impacted by a cyberattack.
Local restaurants back to in-person dining MONIQUE MERRILL chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Just when restaurants in Columbia County were given the green light to reopen in-person dining at 25% capacity, a snowstorm rolled through and complicated those plans for many. At the Village Inn in St. Helens, however, the crew weathered
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the storm and had meals ready for those who braved the conditions to get there. Owner Nick Chand said it was a challenge to prepare the restaurant for reopening with just a few days of notice from the state, and the snowstorm only compounded the challenge. “On Friday when we opened it was pretty crazy. A lot of people came by and supported which was amazing,” Chand said. “We tried to get as many people as we can but with the snowstorm it was really hard to staff and have the right inventory levels. But outside of anything like that it was received pretty well. We’re excited to hopefully move forward with less restrictions and get back to normal life.” What ‘normal life’ means for the Village Inn is not exactly known for Chand. He took over the business in March 2020, right as the pandemic began to change life around the country. “We came in excited and then we’ve been in the storm since,” Chand said. “We don’t even know what it looks like full board.” In the nearly 12 months that he has been operating the restaurant in St. Helens, there have been several
changes to how the restaurant can open as state-mandated restrictions have forced the closures of businesses around the state in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. “We gotta do what we gotta do, I guess,” Chand said. “Basically takeout and to-go orders have been our saving grace mostly.” High risk Declining COVID-19 case rates in Columbia County have allowed the county to move down to the ‘high risk’ category, which means limited in-person dining, along with other indoor activities returned Friday, Feb. 12. Gov. Kate Brown announced Feb. 9 that Columbia County, and nine other counties in the state, have moved from extreme risk to high risk. “Thanks to Oregonians who have stepped up and made smart choices, we have made incredible progress in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and saving lives in Oregon,” Brown said. “This week we will see 10 counties move out of extreme risk, including the Portland tri-county area, for the first time since November. This is welcome news, as we’ll start to see more businesses open up
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
The Village Inn restaurant off Highway 30 in St. Helens reopened its dining room to in-person customers on Friday, the day that the county moved down to high risk and a snowstorm rolled in.
and Oregonians being able to get out a bit more.” County Commissioner Margaret Magruder applauded the work of individuals in the area in following health guidelines and keeping the rates low. “We need to compliment everybody throughout the county for being diligent and staying healthy,” she said at county meeting Feb. 10. “Hope-
fully we wont backslide.” Backsliding would mean a rise in case rates and could potentially shift the county back up to ‘extreme risk’ at the next risk level assignment in two weeks, and close the restaurants and businesses allowed to reopen in high risk. See DINING Page A10