Winthrop tourism hit hard by fires, floods
By Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Not on the beautiful mountain scenery, still there. Not on the gorgeous blue sky, with the smoke pretty much cleared.
But on the pocketbooks of a place dependent on business from out-of-towners.
It is Saturday afternoon in prime vacation time.
"VACANCY," "OPEN," advertise signs on some motels. In previous years, they'd have been booked solid.
Methow Cycle & Sport partner
She says the campground needs the summer visitors since it is closed from October to April.
More exact figures will be available when, in a month, the county reports sales-tax revenue, said
She doesn't expect good news. This is a place dependent "totally" on tourism, she said.
Anecdotally, you can hear what
"Cancellations? Oh, my goodness, yes.
"We didn't even have phone service here for 10 days, and we did have a lot of smoke. I don't blame them for not coming if they had any kind of breathing problems."
The wildfires within sight of
The flash flood Thursday near
The husband and wife living in a house on the other side of that road had a 10-foot wall of water burst through their front door. They escaped uninjured but have lost most of their possessions.
The Weather Service said thunderstorms Sunday may produce flash flooding or mudslides over the North Cascade burn scars.
But residents in the valley were hopeful they'd luck out. On Saturday afternoon, there were blue skies and only a slight breeze to cool off the 77-degree temperature.
Flash floods are the top weather-related killer in the U.S. because they are known to roll boulders, tear out trees and destroy buildings and bridges, says the National Flood Insurance Program.
"Wildfires dramatically change landscape," says the agency on its website. "Normally, vegetation absorbs rainfall, reducing runoff. However, wildfires leave the ground charred, barren and unable to absorb water, creating conditions ripe for flash flooding and mudflow."
It takes up to five years before vegetation is restored, the site says.
For example, when flash floods hit the area Thursday night, for a couple days,
"People thought it was closed," said Brookshire.
Meanwhile,
It can be a frustrating battle.
The camera crews show up for the fires and floods. The images and quotes of tragedy bounce around the Internet.
On Saturday,
What? Somehow a wildfire in the snow?
"People have a picture that's not true. You can hear the panic in their voice," said Stahl.
He said his lodge managed to survive because it rented out rooms to helicopter pilots and others fighting the wildfire.
He said they paid a government rate of
"But working with these guys was exhilarating. The heart and willpower they showed is one of the No. 1 experiences in my life," he said.
If all tourists were like
They're traveling with their two golden retrievers in a 30-foot RV, towing a Jeep. The family came over the portion of
"It was a little tight, but we got through,"
Said Nora, "Where we come from, we have tornadoes."
Eating his ice-cream cone at the famous Sheri's Sweet Shop in the middle of town, Jim added, "We don't get scared too easily."
News researcher
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