Flooding causes building leakage, city evacuations

Recent heavy rains and flooding in and around Corvallis led to drastic measures taken by city authorities.

Some classes were cancelled yesterday due to flooded roads while certain campus buildings experienced leaking from the downpour. News and Research Communications at Oregon State University said no evacuations were needed on campus.

Assistant Director for building services for Memorial Union Auxillary buildings, Sid Cooper, and his team were busy taking care of leaks all day yesterday.

"My group takes care of the cultural centers and Snell and the MU itself, and I'd say the MU and Snell were both pretty heavily challenged today," Cooper said. "They have different building systems trying to encapsulate water... in the case of both buildings, age was a contributing factor."

Benton County Public Information Officer Rick Osborn said assistance was offered in various areas of the city for those worried about the safety of their homes or experiencing transportation problems.

"We did an evacuation at Rosewood Drive up by Lewisburg, due to sliding," Osborn said.

Crescent Valley High School was transformed into a shelter; as of last night 16 evacuees were there to spend the night.

Benton County also offered assistance to people by Lancaster Drive in NE Corvallis and helped relocate them to shelter as well. However, the area around Lancaster was not required to evacuate.

"At this point the water seems to be pretty steady in that area, perhaps receding a little bit, and right now we're monitoring the situation," Osborn said. "If people can avoid traveling, that's preferable."

He added that if traveling is necessary, drivers should avoid parts of the road that are covered in water, not drive through it. He also stressed the importance of obeying all flood warnings and traffic devices.

Joce DeWitt, news editor

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twitter: @Joce_DeWitt