Lower in drainages rivers and streams revealed the consequences of filling wetlands, channellizing streambeds and spreading impervious surfaces across the land. Rapid run-off deluged many settled areas, from towns to suburbs. Some places, such as downtown Tualatin, Ore., graphically displayed what happens when you build on a floodplain, even one supposedly made buildable by the river-altering efforts of the Army Corps of Engineers. The Great Flood of '96 is still a presence. Months after, their aftermath is still a common topic of conversation in Cascadia.
People share how their favorite forest or river getaway has changed since last summer.
Roads closed by mudslides have only slowly opened. Ore. One senses a new air of both vulnerability and consequence. When Clackamas County, Ore. announced plans to cut some of its own timberland, citizens packed the public hearing to object. A striking aspect of the event was older, middle-class people testifying how they fear for their homes. The lessons of winter had sunk in.