As Larry Krause reentered his home Friday after it had flooded overnight, the first thing he noticed was all the mud on the ground. It caked nearly every square inch of his small cabin.

Krause’s home was one of several in the Paradise Park neighborhood in Estacada that saw severe flooding, as the Clackamas River rapidly rose Thursday night. It was one of several areas in Clackamas County that received Level 3 evacuation orders overnight.

The latest atmospheric river over Oregon swelled waterways across the northwest corner of the state. Much of the region remains under a flood warning.

Krause said the water rose almost 15 feet throughout Thursday evening. He and some neighbors managed to jerry-rig some tarps and barriers around his house before the water reached his house.

But the damage to his home of 24 years was still “devastating,” he said.

The water scattered his firewood all over his property. A large gazebo in his yard — which he loved for its easy access to the river — remained underwater.

“We were scrambling,” Krause said. “There’s only so much you could do in six, seven hours of intense work from when I realized that this was no joke.”

Krause stood in his living room, feeling overwhelmed. He said the first item on his to-do list was to call to rent a dumpster and throw away everything ruined by the flood.

“This is still a disaster,” he said. “I don’t know if you can put it any other way.”

It’s still unclear just how many homes were damaged by the flood.

But all around Paradise Park, it became evident that many houses near the Clackamas River took on at least some water overnight. County officials told OPB that 300 homes were told to evacuate that night.

Many people had tried to tie tarps around the base of their homes, but multiple inches of water still managed to seep into their garages and basements.

Just a couple of houses away from Krause, Tom and Brie Aldworth surveyed the damage to their home, where they’ve lived for the past decade. They avoided evacuating overnight, as others did. Their two children and four cats slept in their second-floor bedroom, while the first floor was filled with water.

The video they captured of the flood showed water reaching almost halfway up their front door. When the water started to recede, they found random objects — tables, chairs, a kayak — had ended up in their yard.

“The peak of (the river) was 26 feet, which is the highest any of us has ever seen it,” Tom Aldworth said. “Everyone’s just kind of starting to clean up.”

Tom Aldworth said that until they can repair their basement and first floor, the family will all have to sleep in one room for the foreseeable future.

The flooding impacted multiple neighborhoods that butt against the Clackamas River. Thirteen miles away in the small town of Carver, multiple homes in a trailer park saw severe flooding.

Carol Buck stood on her porch as waves gently washed over her front yard before splashing against the foundation of her home.

It was around 11:15 p.m. on Thursday when the flooding reached the road.

“That’s when I said, ‘I need to buy a brain and leave,’” Buck said. “This is the craziest. I’m totally blown away.”

Many of her neighbors were just returning from spending the night in a nearby church. As of 10 a.m., two homes — both of which were for sale — were still flooded.

Clackamas County spokesperson Scott Anderson said they had begun lifting evacuation orders in the region, as water levels have started to recede.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported multiple water rescues in the small town of Liberal, along the Molalla River.

The National Weather Service said that the flood watch is in effect until Saturday afternoon. Less rain is expected on Friday, but the cumulative impact of days of rain could still pose ongoing problems.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/19/flooding-damages-multiple-homes-clackamas-county/