HERMISTON — Northeast Oregon residents experienced power outages and property damage following winds of more than 70 mph on Saturday, May 30.

Fast winds uprooted trees and knocked down power lines throughout Boardman, Hermiston and surrounding areas, such as Umatilla and Stanfield, damaging private residences, housing communities and parks.

More than 9,300 residences total were affected by the power outage and some remained without power for several hours. Umatilla Electric Cooperative crews worked through the night to restore power to as many locations as possible. According to Steve Meyers, member services administrator for UEC, service crews are still working on restoring power in some areas.

“Approximately 500 or fewer members remain out of power at scattered locations in the Boardman-Hermiston areas, with Irrigon the hardest hit,” according to a June 1 update on the UEC website.

Larry Fetter, the director of Hermiston’s Parks and Recreation Department, said it is one of the strongest windstorms he has experienced in years. Fetter said approximately 20 to 30 mature trees were toppled in several parks throughout the county, including at Hermiston’s McKenzie Park, where large trees fell on the Arc of Umatilla County community building.

“We are still assessing damages and asking for support from other organizations,” Fetter said. “It will take approximately two weeks to repair, remove and restore damages.”

Mckenzie, Belt, Riverfront and Newport parks in Hermiston were the most affected. Debris and other hazards have been eliminated and the Oxbow Trail and Hermiston Loop, among other trails, are now safe for use, according to Fetter.

Wilson Road Mobile Home Park in Boardman is also among the residences affected by the windstorm. Lisa Ahumada, the mobile home park manager, said that approximately 30 to 50 trees in the mobile park were uprooted, damaging water lines and causing a power outage. The community was left without water or power as a result.

The uprooted trees also damaged six mobile home trailers beyond repair, according to Ahumada. No one in the mobile park was injured, but the mobile park is looking for mattress donations for those whose trailers were lost as a result of the windstorm.

“I’ve been managing here for 12 years, this (windstorm) is beyond anything I’ve seen,” Ahumada said.

It took approximately 200 community member volunteers to help clean the mobile park from debris that weekend.

The Umatilla School District also canceled their planned drive-in graduation due to the storm.

“We had planned for rain. We had planned for hail. We had planned for wind, but we had not planned for 70 mile per hour winds that would knock out our power and internet and send things flying,” Superintendent Heidi Sipe said.

She said she had just arrived at the school with umbrellas to hand out when the storm hit and she saw a full-sized dumpster tumbling by. The danger, combined with the loss of power, caused her and Principal Bob Lorence to decide to cancel the ceremony. Staff quickly began using their cellphones to call each student, Sipe said, but one still showed up in the parking lot with his car decorated.

“My heart just broke,” she said.

The district has rescheduled the event for Thursday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Umatilla High School, with a parade through town and fireworks at the marina to follow.