'96 Flood On North Oregon Coast Is Focus of History Event in Nehalem

Published 01/26/26 at 7:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Nehalem, Oregon) – One of the more notorious floods in Oregon history – including the coast – will come into focus in mid February. (1996 flood in Bandon - courtesy Bandon Historical Museum)

Nehalem Valley Historical Society is organizing a community program titled “Thirty Years Later: The Devastating Floods of 1996,” set for Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. at the North County Recreation District in Nehalem. Admission is $10, with proceeds supporting the society’s education programs.

The event will feature panelists Mark Beach and Vivi Tallman, who will discuss the historic January 1996 floods that struck Tillamook County after a prolonged cold spell and intense warm rains. The resulting surge overwhelmed river systems, eroded stream banks, and sent debris barreling downstream, flooding towns and causing widespread damage to homes, businesses, and dairy farms.

Community members are encouraged to attend and share their own experiences from the disaster. Organizers say the gathering aims not only to revisit the destruction but also to highlight the ways local residents supported one another during and after the floods.

1996: a Year of Floods

Seaside Airport flooded in recent years - photo Angi D Wildt Gallery

In Portland, the waterfront threatened to swell – and finally did. Luckily, an army of volunteers built a wall of sandbags to keep it up. Various neighborhoods were smothered, with many losing or nearly losing their homes.

In Salem, it was a series of astonishing sights. Minto-Brown Island park was flooded up to nearly 20 feet, leaving the entirety of the site well underwater. For at least a decade after you could still see the watermark high on many trees. Closer to downtown, all of Pringle Street Park, next to Salem Hospital, was a raging river.

Nearly a year later, another round of soakings hit Oregon – in November. Rivers swelled somewhat in Lincoln County on the central Oregon coast, but down south, from November 17 – 19, things went nuts, especially on Monday, November 18.

Neskowin a few years ago - photo USCG

That Monday, a slightly bigger storm hit the southern Oregon coast than the day before, one where more than six inches of rain fell, especially in Lane, Coos and Douglas County. 80 mph gusts created various kinds of issues. Major flooding took out chunks of Coos Bay, North Bend and Bandon. Even Florence was affected. Great Flood of '96' for South Oregon Coast Hit Coos Bay, Bandon in Nov

In fact, there, 70 mph winds knocked out power in Florence by snapping over trees that in turn clipped power lines, with the bulk of the town losing power at 6:20 a.m. Power was also out in Dunes City and Elkton. Traffic on Highway 126 was blocked by a landslide for about one day, and other landslides plagued the Oregon coast in other areas.

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