Bend windstorm downs trees, smashes windows

Blustery doesn’t even begin to describe Thursday’s stormy morning in Bend, as gusts topping 50 mph caused problems ranging from downed trees to a blown-out supermarket window.

Trees around Bend were no match for Mother Nature –especially a 100-foot-tall Ponderosa pine in a northwest Bend backyard, near the intersection of 14th Street and Baltimore Avenue.

The tree went down around 10 a.m.shutting down 14th for several hours and knocking out power to about 17 PacifiCorp customers.

“I heard a big boom,” said area resident Mike Martin. “I thought it sounded like a tin roof coming off, but I come out here and it’s nothing but a big ‘Pondo’ (Ponderosa pine).”

Across town, another tree snapped and fell right atop a roof.

“This is the tree that snapped off and crashed into our house,” resident Mikaela Scheller said, standing in front of her home, a large tree still on the roof.

Bend Public Works officials said they responded to a half-dozen calls about downed trees.

Meanwhile, a window at the front of the north Bend Alberston’s didn’t stand a chance — it blew right out. Fortunately, nobody was hurt

“I saw the eyeglass case topple over, and I knew it was the window,” said Albertson’s spokeswoman Lorraine Yahanke. “This has never happened before.”

Yes, a very natural blast of AC hit customers as they went about their shopping.

“First thing that I thought of was that someone drove into the store,” shopper David Wise said.

Back at Baltimore and 14th, clean-up began as police and firefighters left and power officials cleared branches and worked to restore power.

“We got real lucky it went right down the alley,” Martin said. “It could have taken out some houses, because it was a big tree.”

At least one house was damaged when the tree went down.

“Thousands of dollars of damage,” said homeowner Michael Schubert. “Branches stripped off the overhang — it ripped off all the electrical wires and caused some damage to the siding and what-not.”

But that’s small potatoes, compared to the Ponderosa hitting Scheller’s house.

“This (circuit breaker) just got ripped out when the tree fell, so it was really scary and I was kind of shaken up,” Scheller said.

The tree also pieced through her roof and cracked walls.

It was a scary morning, but by the afternoon, it was kind of comical for Scheller.

“It gives off a great aroma — nice pine tree scent in the house real natural like,” she said.

The power of Mother Nature, never ceasing to amaze.

“That wind’s some powerful stuff,” Wise said.