PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – After the Multnomah Falls Lodge was forced to close due to flooding caused by a recent severe ice storm, officials say the water is finally letting up.
The United States Forest Service will keep the site closed until it can be safely accessed, which officials say could be the end of the week. Until then, they say the creek will “flood in pulses” while snowdrifts continue to block the tunnel that goes under the area’s railroad tracks.
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“The height of the snowdrifts made it almost impossible to walk under the tracks, and our fear is that people will climb atop and over the railroad tracks to gain access or photo vantages. This would be bad, as they would be hit by a train,” spokesperson Nathaniel Brodie said. “Plus, the snowdrifts are abruptly calving off into the still-swollen creek. Which would also be bad, if someone were atop them.”
Although Brodie said the creek shouldn’t be as high as it appeared in a video posted to social media on Friday, USFS made the decision as a precaution.