More than 3 feet of snow on ground in SE Oregon

ONTARIO, Ore. (AP) – Residents in a rural stretch of southeastern Oregon along the Idaho border are struggling with more than 3 feet of snow on the ground after a storm earlier this week.

The blizzard that ended Thursday added about 15 inches to a region already clogged by snow from earlier storms.

Malheur County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Rob Hunsucker says about 100 roofs on commercial buildings, barns and storage units have collapsed and roads are impassable.

A team of 200 volunteers is mobilizing to shovel snow off the roofs of the elderly and disabled.

Hunsucker says that in the 59 years he’s lived in the area, he’s never seen snow like this.

The National Weather Service says the county may get up to six more inches of snow through Sunday.

Meanwhile, in northern Oregon, all lanes of Interstate 84 between Troutdale and Hood River have reopened.

The stretch of highway in the Columbia River Gorge had been closed since Tuesday because of snow and ice.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said Friday morning that the road is safe, but motorists should still use caution.

The Historic Columbia River Highway remains closed.