'I didn't think it was possible,' small trailer park makes mighty recovery from February floods - East Oregonian
M ISSION — Carol Hall walked down the dry gravel road and looked north over a field of overgrown weeds separating the small community known as Hall’s Trailer Park from the Umatilla River. A gloom of wildfire smoke hung over the park of 20 manufactured homes nuzzled right on the border of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Pendleton, something the clear face shield fastened to Hall’s eyeglasses, meant to protect her from COVID-19, couldn’t protect her from on Thursday, Sept. 17. “With how much is going on this year, it’s hard to believe it was just a few months ago that we were underwater,” said Hall, 73. The combination of snowmelt and rainfall lifted the Umatilla River from its banks in early February. The resulting floodwaters breached the levee in multiple points to the north of the trailer park, turned its gravel roads into channels of water and rose to levels that fortunately stopped at the first porch step to most resident’s homes. A number of the park’s residents evacuate...