More updates from Magruder on storm clean-up: 
(Steve Rumage, Jan 22)

Electrical power has now been restored to all of the buildings in camp (with the exception of Pioneer and Atwood for which the inspector needs to give final approval to flip the switch).  New panels had to be installed in several buildings, and new underground service has been extended to several.  A variety of other vendors have been called in as well – contractors, heating, roofing, glaziers, and tree work professionals – some to do immediate work and some to give bids for future contracts once the insurance claim is finalized.  Staff is working through the required processes with the insurance company adjusters. Since December 4th, a total of 1,040 staff hours and 431 volunteer hours have been tallied related to storm relief work.  We know this will continue for some months to come! 

Work has progressed on other scheduled non-storm related projects, too, including improvements to the Carrier Lodge kitchen and the boat house foundation.  The next major push will be for the completion of the Atwood shower house prior to the arrival of the OMSI camps.

Although there is still a lot of storm debris to remove, Camp Magruder will be ready to serve the groups scheduled to arrive at the end of this week. 

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Magruder Storm Recovery-Update 12/31/07

• The most hazardous trees have been removed, so the camp is now open to all volunteers who wish to help with the clean-up.
• We need volunteers anytime in January, and ESPECIALLY DURING THE WEEK AND WEEKENDS OF JANUARY 11th -21st.  Contact Al Trachsel, conference disaster relief coordinator at: sumc150@verizon.net or 503-873-6517 (church) or 971-218-0028 (cell) to schedule a date to volunteer.
• For list of work to be done and how you can help: see http://gocamping.org/pdfs/Disasterreliefeffortsplanned.pdf.
• The camp received a much-appreciated $6,200 grant from UMCOR for humanitarian assistance for local employees affected by the storm.   
• The OR-ID conference disaster fund paid for a dozen hard hats, orange vests, safety goggles, and other safety equipment – the better to keep us all safe when helping with storm recovery at Magruder.
• PUD and electricians are working with the camp staff to get some of our electric lines underground where practical.
• Magruder will be open for our first scheduled guest groups beginning January 25th. 
• Steve Rumage, Magruder’s new director, is on his way and will arrive by Jan 4.  For more info about Steve see: http://gocamping.org/MagruderDirector.html

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Magruder storm clean-up Update, Friday Dec 14
(Susan Delaney)

As you know from the last update, Al Trachsel is taking names of volunteers who'd like to put in a day's clean-up work out at Magruder between Dec 26 and Jan 26.  Please contact him at: sumc150@verizon.net or 503-873-6517 (church) or 971-218-0028 (cell).  That week after Christmas the college kids will be home and looking for something fun to do to work off all that fudge-- coming out to help out at Magruder might be just the thing.  ( I know my daughter and I are planning to do that! )

I also thought you might like to see this article from our E-Connector news:

Read about how the coast storm affected our neighbor conference

The Pacific Northwest Conference web page dedicated to the flooding disaster has a new story and pictures; click on this link. The site is updated as new information is available. (PNW News Digest)

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Magruder Storm Clean-up Update, Wednesday Dec 12

DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS PLANNED FOR CAMP MAGRUDER
Rev. Al Trachsel, pastor at Silverton UMC, is the conference disaster response coordinator, and is the person to contact regarding volunteer work crews and other support for Magruder and our local churches affected by the storm.   An organized plan for volunteer and other help is sketched out below.   Please reach Al at: sumc150@verizon.net or 503-873-6517 (church) or 971-218-0028 (cell). 

Frequently Asked Questions:
(click here for a pdf / printable version of today's information)

Al Trachsel is now taking reservations from churches and others who want to help with the disaster relief efforts after the storm at Camp Magruder.  Dates available to volunteer are December 26th through January 26th. 

Individual skilled volunteers are currently being scheduled in the days up to Christmas to take care of the most hazardous trees and prepare the camp for all those who wish to come help Camp Magruder’s recovery after the storm.

For risk management purposes, through January 26th, all volunteers must be 18 or over.  Families and Youth groups are welcome to attend Hammer Camp, President’s Day Weekend, February 15-18, and register online.  There will still be work to be done!

Due to limited facilities (most buildings closed due to no electricity, no showers), day volunteers are preferred: daylight hours 8am-4pm.  Overnight stays are possible, but limited: contact Al Trachsel for availability.

Yes, please bring your own meals. Thankfully, kitchens are available to cook hot food if needed (please bring your own cooks).  Bringing extra food for the Magruder staff is very much appreciated during this time.

Yes, native trees and plants are most welcome.  We especially want to expand the diversity of the trees in camp with more Sitka Spruce, Western Red cedar, and Western Hemlock.  A full list of native trees and plants can be found at: www.plantnative.com

Support volunteers:

Tree and brush clean-up volunteers:

More volunteers:

Tools/supplies:
Wood splitters
Wood chippers
Chainsaws, fuel, oil, sharpeners, etc.
Power washers
Tractors
Trailers (for hauling brush, logs)
Pick-up Trucks
Horses with owners, equipment and ability to haul logs (our donkey’s aren’t up to the task – please call us first to make arrangements if you have such horses available).
Rakes
Shovels
Wheelbarrows/garden carts
Vinegar & rags or newspaper (for windows)
Food, snacks and drinks for hungry volunteers.
Trees & shrubs to plant: see www.plantnative.com

Personal items:
Work clothes
Rain Gear (you’ll need rain pants as well as a rain jacket)
Leather work Gloves – 2 pr (so you can dry the wet pair)
Eye protection
Ear protection (soft earplugs might be nice at night too, if your bunkmates snore J)
Hard hats
Work boots
Chaps
Bright Orange Vests or Hunter Orange clothing (so tree fallers can see you).
Flashlight
Watch (cell phones don’t work well out here, and you’ll want to know when it’s meal time).

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Monday, Dec 10                      

MAGRUDER UPDATE  - Sherlock needs new chimney/fireplace, Basic services partially restored. Monday, December 10, 2007 -from Miranda Lovegren, Interim Director

Saturday: With Gene Balcomb, Dick Sherman and Steve Hicks busily clearing the emergency access road to the county park on the south end of camp; Lisa Jean Hoefner, Darrell Coles (maint. staff), Diana Gutzke (camp staff w/insurance expertise) and I walked around with the insurance adjuster to assess the damage.    Sherlock’s chimney was hit by a tree, and a crack goes right down the middle to the ground and will need to be replaced.  A beam was broken on the end, and the lakeside roofing will need replacing.  This will probably be our largest claim.   Some roof damage to Atwood, Beutler, and Bunch.  And electrical mastheads pulled out of 5 buildings.  In just one half-acre area around the Burfitt House behind the Schaad Welcome Center, we maxed out our insurance coverage for tree removal.  This means we really must rely on our volunteers to help us cut and clear all the damage.  The camp still is not safe for volunteer crews, but we expect we may be able to authorize additional selected volunteers as soon as next weekend, and after Christmas we should be ready to allow many helping hands.   Rev. Al Trachsel, pastor at Silverton UMC, is the conference disaster response coordinator, and is the person to contact regarding volunteer work crews and other support for Magruder and our local churches affected by the storm.   An organized plan for volunteer and other help is being developed and will be posted on the e-connector this week.   Please reach Al at: sumc150@verizon.net or 503-873-6517 (church) or 971-218-0028 (cell).  After dark Saturday night, the PUD crews who have been working around the clock in the storm-devastated area were finally able to make it to Camp Magruder.  The main power line down the middle of camp was turned on and we discovered where we did and did not have power.  Pioneer Cottage (where 3 staff were staying, including myself), and almost all of our retreat lodges, cabins, and showerhouses in the main part of camp will be without power, perhaps for weeks, due to downed lines, and ripped out mastheads/panel boxes.  Since we do not have groups booked at the camp until the last weekend in January, we are getting estimates to put all these auxiliary lines underground rather than repairing poles and overhead lines (anyone with trenching experience, or licensed electrician who could volunteer to help with this project, please contact Al Trachsel, above).   Thankfully, we have power to those areas of camp needed most: the Schaad Welcome Center (hooray! We now have phones, fax, and internet service again!), the Gate House (where the Ryan’s live), the Burfitt House (where the McClaskey’s live), Miller Cottage  (where now those of us who were in Pioneer will live), Carrier Lodge (where the kitchen staff were busy getting the main kitchen deep-cleaned and painted when the storm interrupted), the Boat House (where the maint. crew are stabilizing the piers), the Shop (lots of winter maintenance projects yet to be completed around camp), and the 4 buildings on the lakeside of the road: Walworth, Sherlock, Pines and Collins. Sunday: Tom Cook (Geneva’s husband), a professional tree climber/trimmer, worked in the rain with Steve Hicks (from Collins Retreat Center) to remove the remaining smaller trees still leaning on or near buildings.  Tom will be back next Sunday to begin the huge process of removing the hazard trees still standing (or leaning!) around camp.

Photos by Steve Rumage   With troubleshooting help over cell phones with Andy Payne (our ministry team techie), and our phone company, I was able to get the phone system running, and eventually internet service.  It’s great to be connected again with the outside world! Monday: Dan Cotton, a regional forester for the Oregon State Forestry Dept, walked around with me first thing this morning and provided some excellent advice: 1) We would only break even (if that) if we tried to commercially sell downed and hazard trees: only the spruce is marketable, and we don’t have enough to make a load.  2) Getting a portable saw mill for milling lumber into usable pieces for camp use is a better idea and can use pieces as small as 8 feet X 8” in diameter (Our maintenance guys already have one lined up). 3) Besides a woodsplitter, a large chipper will be invaluable (Dick Sherman already has one reserved for next week at a great rate). 4) He suggested branches can be bound with decomposable rope and sunk with decomposable clay into the lake for fish habitat (something done at Magruder in past years), and brush piles in out-of-sight areas are excellent small bird habitat.  5) The trees that have fallen over with their root balls intact may live; and since they can’t fall further, could be left for public interest and environmental education, once limbed for saftey. Twin Rocks Friends Camp offered us housing for staff over the weekend before our power was restored, and today loaned us their tractor so we can get more trees moved and ready for the portable sawmill, woodsplitter, and chipper.  Dick Sherman was back out clearing hazard trees today, with Steve Hicks, and the Magruder  maintenance crew: Mark, Darrell and Mike.  In order to be good neighbors, we got the trees removed that had fallen over the north fence line into our neighbors’ property. The outpouring of goodwill and offers to help have been amazing!  We really appreciate Al Trachsel coordinating those efforts for us so we can focus on getting the camp safe enough for you to come volunteer to help with the clean up.  We will need lots and lots of helping hands in the coming weeks to get the camp up and running again by the end of January.   Please do call Al to get signed up to come out and help! Thank you all so much for your prayers and willingness to help! In Christ, Miranda Lovegren

Friday, Dec 7

The latest update at Camp Magruder – 12/7/07 (Friday afternoon):

Thank you to everyone who has expressed care and concern and willingness to help the camp and staff in the aftermath of the December storm.   Thankfully building damage is limited, but the hundreds of downed, leaning and broken trees took out most of our power lines and transformed the landscape.  While power is expected to be restored to Rockaway within the week, it could be 2 weeks before all the power lines in camp are repaired so our power can be restored.   The camp is unable to receive phone calls, emails, or faxes.  The US postal service is, however, very reliable.

We have been instructed by the conference risk management officer that because of the large numbers of hazardous trees, downed power lines, and the lack of services (no potable water, for example), it is imperative for safety and liability reasons to close the camp to all but authorized personnel until officials assess and address the hazards and restore services. 

We anticipate that we will be able to open the camp to eager volunteers to help with storm clean-up sometime after Christmas.

Rev. Al Trachsel, pastor at Silverton UMC, is the conference disaster response coordinator, and is the person to contact regarding volunteer work crews and other support for Magruder and our local churches affected by the storm.   An organized plan for volunteer and other help is being developed and will be posted on the e-connector next week.   Please reach Al at: sumc150@verizon.net or 503-873-6517 (church) or 971-218-0028 (cell). 

Wednesday, Dec 5
Dear Friends,
       Further news from the coast this morning.  Sewer and water are now out making it more difficult for families at the site.  Rockaway Beach sewer/water system is overwhelmed in sewage processing and water is out because electricity remains out (and word is it will be out until next week perhaps).  Since it is also getting colder temperature-wise, it is all in all less pleasant for staff to stay onsite; therefore, Miranda is working with each of the folks involved to evacuate to friends and family in the Portland area and Sweet Home by the weekend.  The local staff is working up a donkey-care schedule, and Pat and Karen prefer to stay onsite and will assist with this.

   Today, Dick Sherman had headed to Magruder with a generator.  Steve Rumage has gone out with extra gas and oil for chain saws, etc.  The main roads have been cleared at camp yesterday by the maintenance crew and other staff.  The insurance adjuster is on her way (having dealt with Bay City UMC loss of steeple yesterday.)  Once the adjuster has documented what is needed for insurance purposes, additional trees will be removed.  There is damage to Bunch, Atwood, and Sherlock – eaves, corners, chimney at Sherlock – but nothing through any roofs at least as determined at this point. 

    Work crews with their own chain saws will be needed and welcomed, but probably not until we get utilities restored. January will be the prime time for larger groups of volunteers to be involved with debris clean-up.  If anyone has access to a wood-splitter or chippers, that will likely be greatly appreciated.  We are also interested in finding someone with expertise to assess whether and which of the trees have commercial value – right now we’re instructing staff to make the largest lengths possible when cutting trees.   

    Phone calls and messages of concern have been coming in from around the Western Jurisdiction and the country to offer support and prayers to all here.  Much appreciated – we’ve got a great connectional church!

    Shalom, Lisa Jean

Tuesday, Dec 4
(Lisa Jean)

Finally, we have heard from Miranda Lovegren at Camp Magruder – around 4:30pm on Tuesday. (Phone service, even cell phone service, has been down since the Sunday night storm, and the roads to the coast were closed).   Everyone at camp is safe and fine.  There are 10 people – staff and families between the Burfitt House, Pioneer House, and Gatehouse.  They have propane stoves to use, plenty of food, and wood stoves.  The local staff has been able to get in to camp as well and have cleared the major roads to and around camp today.  Power is expected to be out for another week or more, though some of the local area staff have power at their homes and local phone service.  All are able to get into Tillamook as of today and the Fred Meyers is completely open and operating for any particular needs (local stores are more limited).  They are able to receive Verizon cell phone messages when in Tillamook, but not always able to send calls out successfully – hit or miss kind of deal. 

Steve Rumage, our new director, is with us this week –  he flew in yesterday.  He has been able to visit several site team members in the Willamette Valley today since he couldn’t get out to camp yet.  Tomorrow he will go out to camp and work with the staff.  Marilyn Parrish (Tillamook UMC) went to camp today to look around.  She will return tomorrow to take extra food that otherwise would spoil to people in need in Tillamook. 

The donkeys are fine.  They minded the cold on the days before the storm more than they minded the wind.  Very few trees down around their pen area and very little water in camp in general.  There was not as much rain as could have been, and the ocean swells did not come into camp they way they have in other storms -- last winter, for instance. 

There are 100’s of trees down!  Some damage to Sherlock (chimney), Bunch, and Atwood – trees on roofs, eaves, corners, but not through any roof.  The insurance adjuster had made it to Bay City UMC this afternoon (the steeple blew off) and will be heading for camp very soon this week.  Volunteers will be needed for weeks to come to help clean up debris.   

Will try to keep you all updated as info comes in – especially when we get to the stage where lots of volunteers would be welcomed to help with debris clean-up and you can help us spread the word.  All the staff seems to be keeping in good spirits out there!  Keep them all in your prayers as well. 

Lisa Jean