Events to mark Columbus Day storm anniversary

LONGVIEW — Oct. 12 marks the 60-year anniversary of the Columbus Day storm, the most devastating windstorm in the recorded history of the western United States.

The Cowlitz County Historical Museum and the Cowlitz County Department of Emergency Management will air a podcast episode about disaster preparedness next week inspired by the storm. The episode will be broadcast on KLOG and is already available through the radio station’s Cowlitz Podcast Network.

The North Clark Historical Museum in Amboy is showing an exhibit about the storm on Saturday and Oct. 22. The latter date includes an afternoon program where people who were alive during the storm can come share their memories. People can also contact the museum anytime to share stories at 360-247-5800 or museumnch88@gmail.com.

Admission to the North Clark Historical Museum, 21416 NE 399th St., is free. Visitors can also buy a $1 raffle ticket to win a quilt, which will be displayed at the library on Oct. 22 and proceeds will benefit the library.

The Columbus Day storm hit the West Coast on Oct. 12, 1962, and created gusts of wind that clocked in around 150 mph in Oregon and 90 mph in Vancouver. More than 1 billion board feet of trees were felled in Washington and Oregon. An Oregon State University scientist said that, adjusted for inflation, the storm caused more than $1 billion in damage.

Cowlitz County avoided the worst of the storm, with no deaths reported from Longview residents and 16 recorded injuries.

Reports and photos show the wind blew the roof off of R.A. Long High School’s football stadium, flipped over planes at Southwest Washington Regional Airport, shattered windows in homes and businesses across the county and knocked out power for extended periods of time.