30 Years Later: The Great Flood of 1996 |Anthony Brande*

I still remember the 18-inches of water that flooded my grandmother’s home just a few feet shy of where the flood line ended. In February 1996, severe snowmelt and heavy rains triggered one of the worst floods in Oregon’s modern history, inundating communities from Portland to the Willamette Valley. As 2026 marks the 30-year anniversary, the flood remains a defining event, causing widespread property damages across the Pacific Northwest exceeding $1 billion (weather.gov). Beyond property damage, it disrupted hospitals, contaminated water systems, and heightened risks of infectious disease, reshaping regional emergency preparedness and public health response for decades.

US Department of Commerce, N. (n.d.). Flooding in Oregon. National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood-states-or#:~:text=+February%201996%20Flood,heavy%20rain%20and%20rapid%20snowmelt

*Anthony Brande is SERV-OR Volunteer and a member of the Bulletin Development Team