Cason Wolcott uses before and after photos to measure time, which she has stitched together in an Instagram slide show.
Before the windstorm on January 13, there is Christmas. In a treasured photograph, Philip pours a sparkling drink into two wine glasses while the Wolcotts stand in their Gresham kitchen, the room softly warmed by the lighting. Cason joyfully lifts her arms into the air.
And then there is the aftermath: A tall, lanky Douglas tree split their Gresham house in half, causing the ceiling to collapse and the kitchen to become obscured by shadows and rubble.
After January 13, 2024, Cason and Philip Wolcott’s kitchen.Graves, Mark/The Oregonian
The before: A picture of the couple’s 150-pound Anatolian shepherd, Clyde, curled up on the carpeted stairwell landing of the Wolcotts’ house, with Christmas lights and a beautiful garland hanging from the banister.
After the tree tore up the ceiling, damp drywall, pink insulation, and thousands of evergreen needles were scattered around the front room and stairs.
The Wolcotts haven’t returned home more than ten months after the winds that blew down that enormous tree puffed and puffed.
According to Cason Wolcott, 2024 hasn’t been our year. We’ve been coping with construction and sort of living out of what feels like bags.
The pair is one of countless locals whose houses were damaged or destroyed by fierce winds that uprooted trees throughout the Portland region during the winter storm in January of last year. In addition, the storm damaged countless pipes, immobilized the area’s roadways, and cut out power to almost 500,000 clients. Two were also killed by falling trees.
A 9-month-old baby was saved after sliding down a driveway into a live powerline, but three people died from electrocution when the cold front covered almost everything in snow and ice and lingered for days.
Kent Hohlfeld’s house in Southwest Portland was completely destroyed by a Douglas Fir tree, which split it in two.Nakamura, Beth
Cleaning up, submitting insurance claims, and occasionally arguing with insurers over how much they would pay, dealing with contractors who might not be responsive, and spending night after night in temporary housing have all been difficult steps in the recovery process for families whose homes were destroyed. With the exception of the contractors, it has meant essentially the same thing for tenants. Finding new housing within the confines of their children’s previous school districts has proven difficult for some families with kids.
Residents’ sense of security has been severely damaged by the storm.
The pair can still clearly recall that fateful day: Cason and Philip Wolcott were sitting on the couch and watching the trees outside swaying dangerously while Philip stood behind her. He shouted This is us! This is us! Snatching up their two dogs, they jumped to the ground. Five feet away, the tree smashed into the home.
“We kind of relive that moment every night when we close our eyes,” she said. I’m not sure if we’ll ever be able to move past the reality of PTSD.
According to Cason Wolcott, she and her husband wouldn’t have returned if the city of Gresham, which owns the piece of land where the tree had stood, hadn’t felled other trees that were close to their house.
The couple estimates that their insurance will cover $490,000 in total to replace their two automobiles, the majority of their belongings, reconstructing their home when it has been stripped to the studs, and the long-term rental they have been residing in.
She compared it to a permanent Airbnb with the worst bed you’ve ever slept on.
Before Christmas, the Wolcotts hope their house will be ready for them to return to. Normally, she would have begun decorating their house in red and green before Halloween, according to Cason Wolcott.
What is the thing she is most excited about? the comforting sense of home.
She remarked, “I just miss feeling at ease in my own space.” like being aware that it’s my personal space. that the furniture belongs to me. My photos are displayed on the walls. On the bed are my blankets.
At 12:47 p.m., the tree impacted the Wolcotts’ home. Two minutes prior, the first of four trees fell on Shu-Ju Wang and Mike Coleman’s home in Southwest Portland, across the metro area close to Portland Community College.
In January 2024, the destruction was evident throughout Shu-Ju Wang and Mike Coleman’s Southwest Portland home. This is their ADU, which is located above the garage.Nakamura, Beth
After spending over nine months at a friend’s house, a motel, and finally a rented home, the couple returned in October, just before Halloween. They are grateful that it didn’t take longer to reconstruct their house from the ground up. According to Wang, they are among the first people to settle in their severely damaged neighborhood, which is one of the worst in the area. Their neighbors next door don’t anticipate coming back until spring.
For us, I believe everything has gone as smoothly as one might want, Wang remarked. None of us were hurt. Our pets are with us.
They also have a dog and cats. They now live with a neighbor who used to own their chickens. When a tree fell straight into their pond, their koi fish perished. However, after they have finished unpacking, the pair intends to install a new one.
To fix up the house, workers still come once a week or occasionally every day.
Wang stated that despite a few bumps in the road, she has no complaints considering the seriousness of all that transpired.
In January 2024, a falling tree wrecked Shu-Ju Wang and Mike Coleman’s automobile that was parked on the street.Nakamura, Beth
A cello, jewelry, a jar full of cash, and electronics were taken by someone who broke into their home a few days after the trees fell, when it was locked but unoccupied. Coleman tracked the couple’s stolen AirPods to a Tigard apartment building using Apple’s Find My app, but he was unable to determine the exact apartment unit number.
However, the neighbor of the couple used a picture from a security camera he had placed at the street to stake out the complex. The picture showed the burglar’s recognizable truck. In the end, he located a man who parked the truck at the complex and entered a certain apartment. An arrest was made shortly after.
It also required patience on the part of the couple to proceed with the home repairs. After the trees fell, it took around two weeks for the ice to melt and for a tree removal firm to send a crane into the neighborhood to take down the trees. In the months that followed, there were some hiccups in obtaining the insurance company to provide the full payment that Wang and Coleman felt was due.
According to Wang, the first major surprise is that your local agent is essentially the salesperson and does nothing. Corporate is what you’re dealing with, and they fly people out.
According to Wang, a new adjuster would show up every few months. According to her, a second adjuster later authorized the entire cost after the first one said the company would only pay $40,000 of the over $70,000 required to remove and clean all of their moldy and wet belongings. The same was true of a concrete road that was sunken and fractured after being struck by a tree. Wang added that after one adjuster declared that the corporation would not pay, another later approved the expenses.
According to the couple, insurance has already paid roughly $300,000.
The two cats belonging to Shu-Ju Wang and Mike Coleman used to lounge next to this window and look outside.(Thanks to Shu-Ju Wang)
A benefit of rebuilding is redesigning the space to best fit the household’s needs. The old seating area next to a window has been reconstructed into a large glass sliding door onto a balcony. Now the dog, as well as the cats, can look outside at Shu-Ju Wang and Mike Coleman’s house.(Thanks to Shu-Ju Wang)
Wang said she and her husband also feel lucky to have found a first-rate contractor. They re also impressed with how many of their possessions were saved, and the state that they were returned to them in. by the company that removed, dried out and cleaned the contents of their home.
Our clothes came back clean, Wang said. Our bedding came back clean. I know I couldn t have done a better job.
Some of their furniture, such as their dining room table, was lost.
Speaking to The Oregonian/OregonLive the day before Thanksgiving, Wang said she and her husband invited a friend over for Thanksgiving dinner. They ll be eating on an olddrafting tablea friend gave them years ago. The makeshift dining table doubles as a desk. Like so much they ve experienced this year, Wang said they re making do.
I don t know if you re familiar with those, but they tilt, Wang said, laughing. So we re eating on a kind of tilted table.
Aimee Green covers breaking news and the justice system. Reach her at 503-294-5119,[email protected]@o_aimee.
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