PENDLETON — Tutuilla and Patawa creeks near and through Pendleton crested their banks Sunday, May 29, flooding yards and businesses and prompting the city to close access to roads.

The National Weather Service in Pendleton on May 28 issued a flood watch for much of Northeastern Oregon due to hours and hours of steady rainfall, which swelled area creeks and filled McKay Reservoir. The NWS on May 29 reported the following 24-hour precipitation totals from May 28:

Pendleton at Eastern Oregon Regional Airport: .74 inches.

Hermiston Municipal Airport: .51 inches.

Meacham: .57 inches.

Adams 4W: .99 inches.

Echo: .40 inches.

The crew at neighboring Kelly Lumber Supply Inc., 1211 Tutuilla Road, hustled to move trailers from the back of their property where rushing water was more than 2 feet deep.

Jason Kelly said Tutuilla Creek has flooded the property before, but nothing like what was happening May 29.

He waded out into the stream flowing along the property to install a battery on a fifth-wheel trailer to get its hydraulics working. The effort proved fruitful, and he and his son, Jaden Villa, were able to hook up the trailer to a Dodge Ram pickup and haul it out of the flood.

High waters were surrounding nearby homes on the west side of Tutuilla Road, where Makayla Lee and some friends were stacking gravel bags to mitigate the flood.

Lee said she has lived at this site for the last two years, and the flooding in 2020 was not nearly so bad on Tutuilla and Patawa creeks.

The city that day closed access to Tutuilla Road to thru-traffic at Southwest Nye Avenue due to high water on the road.

The Confederate Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation reported public safety crews were working to sandbag flood areas and divert water runoff. The tribes temporarily closed several roads, including Montanic and South Market roads.

“Stay safe,” CTUIR urged. “Don’t risk driving through flooded roads.”

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