Oregon Public Broadcasting

One year ago this week, torrential rains on Mt. Hood caused the Sandy River to jump its banks, swallow three houses and wash out Lolo Pass Road.

Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB

Locals have made a number of changes as a result.

Mick Eby is the chief of the Hoodland Fire District. He says the flood made people think more about how to survive alone for a couple of weeks. For example, he says, several families have changed their heating sources from wood to propane -- a tank of propane can keep a home dry and the water heater going for months.

Eby says locals are also more aware of the weather and they keep a closer eye on the river.

"We're a little bit more reactive now. We've got a little better communication. The county and the state and NOAA have put up gauges on the river that we are now able to start to profile the rivers and find out exactly when flood stages are hitting at one location, how that's going to affect the lower locations on both the Salmon and the Sandy Rivers," said Eby.

As a result of the flood, the Hoodland Fire District won several grants. One bought a small, all-terrain vehicle, to help authorities reach remote areas.

The district also has more radios, a satellite phone and a smart-board and projector for better mapping.