Hundreds of truckers wait out the storm in Hood River

No freeway reopening time is known at this time, said Cimmiyotti, the ODOT regional manager.

Trucks have been parked in Hood River anywhere from 2 to 24 hours, waiting to get back on the freeway, with loads of packages, milk and meat. Drivers with perishable goods said their refrigeration systems are sufficient for the wait.

“It’s mother nature! What can you do besides wait it out?” said Rich Seiser of Denver, hauling meat to Winco in Portland.

“I’ve been on this route for years, and this is as bad as I’ve seen it,” Seiser said.

Bryce Rude of Prosser and Marcello Galao of Sunnyside, hauling tankers of milk, said they are paid by the hour so the wait has less of an impact than on drivers who are working by the mile.

“Some of those guys are chewing nails,” Rude said.

More than 200 trucks have turned the Port area into a parking lot, lining Portway, Riverside, Second and First streets around the Event Site, and Lot 1 itself, but shortly after noon on Saturday ODOT and OSP were dealing with multiple trucks that had pulled along the interstate.

“We can’t clear the freeway if there are vehicles parked along it,” Cimmiyotti said.

Once directed onto Second Street and into the Port area, the agencies dealt with blockages at Second and Riverside and intersections around Lot 1. Cimmiyotti said more ODOT and OSP resources had been called in to clear the intersections and get the trucks parked.

“The problem is the wind is still strong and the snow is drifting, and we can’t have people getting stuck in drifts,” explaining the main reason for the freeway closure. “Simple snow we can deal with but the wind has been a problem and we have to keep people off the freeway and safe.” Friday night winds reached up to 60 miles per hour. Five trucks had to be pulled out of drifts on Saturday morning around Cascade Locks, Cimmiyotti said.

Every plow and sander available has been called up to the interstate, with Maupin crews and equipment coming to The Dalles and Mosier to relieve The Dalles, who are shifted to Hood River, whose crews are moved to work the Cascade Locks.

Power company trucks will be the only traffic allowed through, as those crews and equipment have been dispatched from points east to help with electrical outages in the Portland area, which has been hit with half a foot of snow and icy conditions since Friday. Cimmiyotti said ODOT will caravan the trucks westbound to Portland four or five at a time.

Kyle Tucker of Les Schwab Tire Center in Hood River chipped ice off a jack he used to lifted a semi cab so he could replace two flat tires. He was assisted by Les Schwab store manager Mark Russell.

“It’s fun,” Tucker said. “Keeps me from getting too warm.”