Umatilla County Search and Rescue stays busy with mountain roads rescues
Published 10:00 am Friday, March 29, 2024
- Search and rescue volunteers the night of Nov. 3, 2022, place injured hunter Danny Rupp, 49, of Albany, into a litter to bring him out of the Mill Creek Watershed area near Milton‐Freewater. The Umatilla County Sheriff's Office on March 28, 2024, reported its search and rescue team has had a busy month.
UMATILLA COUNTY — Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue members have been busy in March rescuing people in vehicles stuck in the snow on rural roads. Below are the missions for the month, with the last one in progress at the time of this press release.
March 12: Call received at 8:42 a.m.; mission completed at 2:51 p.m.
Search and Rescue members assisted a female stuck in the snow in her vehicle in the area of Indian Lake Road, near Indian Lake Campground outside of Pilot Rock. The female was located and given a courtesy ride to a residence in Pendleton.
March 18: Call received at 2:43 p.m.; mission cancelled at 3:40 p.m.
Search and Rescue were notified of two females stuck in their vehicle in the snow and out of gas on Frazier Station Road near Frazier Campground outside Ukiah. These individuals were able to self-rescue, prior to search and rescue responding.
March 21: Call received at 8:05 p.m.; mission completed March 22 at 2:20 a.m.
Search and Rescue members assisted a male and female stuck in a snow in the area of U.S. Forest Service roads 53 and 5312 outside Ukiah. Search and Rescue members located them and gave them a ride to Pendleton.
March 27: Call received at 4:53 p.m.; mission completed at 11:14 p.m.
Search and Rescue members assisted a female stuck in the her vehicle in the snow in the area of Ross Road near Meacham. Members located her and she was able to drive her vehicle out of the area.
March 28: Call received at 3:11 p.m.; located at 6:27 p.m.; mission outcome in progress.
Search and Rescue members assisted a male stuck in his vehicle in the snow somewhere near Suiste Lane outside Ukiah. Search and Rescue members were able to locate him and were giving him a ride to Pendleton at the time of this release.
The sheriff’s office asked the public to be cautious when traveling in rural areas.
“This time of year, driving in the mountains can be deceiving,” according to the sheriff’s office. “People will often leave from lower elevations and be surprised and unprepared when they run into snow. Even if they are expecting snow, this time of year the snow gets very soft (especially as the day goes on) making it almost impossible to navigate through.”
Umatilla County Search and Rescue has prepared a video in its “Be Wise and Survive” series that explains the hazards of driving on mountain roads in the spring.
