Massive amounts of water continue to run off into rivers and streams across Idaho and Oregon as temperatures warm. On April 1st, the Malheur Basin in eastern Oregon recorded over 350% of normal snowpack. A couple of weeks later, a sudden warmup sent water from snowmelt rushing into the Malheur River.
On April 12th, the Malheur River saw its 6th highest crest on record at 21.56 feet (moderate flood stage). The floodwaters sent creeks, streams and canals over their banks threatening homes and businesses.
Toni Castiglione and her teenage daughter awoke in the early morning hours of April 12th to quickly-rising water. The family had minutes to grab their belongings and were taken to dry land by the sheriff. Toni explains, "I lost all my children's drawings and stuff from school over the years, when they were younger. All of my memorabilia. It's all destroyed."
Over a month later, Toni and her daughter remain displaced, relying on family and friends for shelter and support. Toni continues to seek answers to what went wrong, "Yes, there's acts of God, but this wasn't an act of God. This was an act of man's negligence and somebody needs to take accountability." Toni believes the Bureau of Reclamation should be held responsible for the loss of her home and belongings due to the unsafe release of water from Bully Creek Reservoir.
We reached out to the Bureau of Reclamation for a statement, and they respectfully declined to comment.
