Pacific Northwest Storms of December 1-4, 2007

Sponsored by the Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering of ASCE.

On December 1-4, 2007, a series of storms with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains lashed the U.S. Pacific Northwest, hitting southwestern Washington and northwestern Oregon especially hard. These storms dropped 37 cm (14.5 in) of rain with gusts up to 206 km/h (129 mph). The storms caused major flooding and landslides, taking five lives and causing extensive damage to infrastructure throughout the region.

This TCLEE report discusses in detail the effects of the Pacific Northwest Storms on lifeline infrastructure systems: highways, electric power, water, wastewater/stormwater, telecommunications, coasts and waterways, and emergency response. Chapters focus on a particular system and provide an overview of the system’s performance, following by a discussion of the system, its damage, the emergency response, and recover. Each chapter finishes with observations and recommendations.

This monograph will be of particular interest to civil engineers, managers, planners, and government officials charged with maintaining lifeline infrastructure systems during extreme wind events and other natural hazards.