The Wake of Vanport 2
Film
Review
by Kam Williams
Second
Installment in Captivating Video Project Chronicles More Flood
Survivors' Life Stories
At 4:05 pm
on May 30, 1948, a dike failed in the City of Vanport, Oregon
situated on lowlands between the Portland and the Columbia River. The
ensuing flood swamped the federal housing project, claiming 15 lives
and leaving 40,000 citizens homeless.
Last
spring, the Skanner Foundation released The Wake of Vanport, a very
informative documentary about the incident composed of the riveting
recollections of survivors of the Memorial Day disaster. Now we have
The Wake of Vanport 2, the second installment in the ongoing
historical project designed to preserve exactly what transpired that
fateful afternoon from a variety of different perspectives.
Among the
welcome additions to the mix is Betty Deulen who was 11 at the time
of the tidal wave. She recounts how she rushed home to save her
parents and young sisters as soon as the dam failed. Her family
didn't have a car, so they ended up escaping aboard a bus.
Curnel
Waldren, who moved to town at the age of 6 or 7, waxes romantic about
the freedom he enjoyed while growing up in Vanport. However, he did
dislike the fact that they had no air conditioning so he had to
suffer on those hot, hazy, humid summer days.
In terms of
the flood, Curnel remembers that the hastily-constructed housing
units had been built on poor foundations. Consequently, most folks
"lost just about everything they had" in the deluge.
Nevertheless, he says the tragedy brought out the best in some
people.
Melvin
Osbeck was a teenager who drove with friends from Southeast Portland
to assist during the calamity. He recollects finding a sort of
"organized confusion" about how to stem the overflowing
water. He was asked to fill sandbags but was also warned to be
careful to avoid sinkholes which could very easily sweep him away to
his death.
In his
video memoir, John Beverage (Brother of Betty Deulen) talks about how
much he appreciated moving to Vanport in 1943 since until then he'd
been raised on his grandfather's farm without electricity or running
water. He soon became a paperboy, saving up to buy himself a bike by
selling copies of the Oregon Journal. As far aas May 30th of '48,
what sticks in his mind is how numerous residents ignored "the
wail of the sirens" as well as how the residences would float
away after being engulfed in by four feet of water.
The final
chapter of this episode revolves around Dorothy and Hurtis Hadley, a
couple that's been happily married for over 50 years and counting.
Dorothy's father had worked in the nearby Naval shipyard before send
bus tickets for his wife and kids to join him. Hurtis arrived at the
age of 2 but was 6 years-old and flying a kite the day the the dike
overflowed.
The two go
on to recount how they started dating, with Dorothy stealing her
future hubby from a girlfriend while he was playing sax for a popular
local band called The Fabulous Majest. However, Hurtis would
eventually switch careers and successfully open up his very own
bakery.
In sum,
kudos to the producers for another fascinating collection of tributes
to a beloved hometown that could have just as easily been forgotten
forever after being wiped off the map in a flash.
Excellent (4
stars)
Unrated
Running time: 37 minutes
Distributor: The Skanner
Foundation
To see a
trailer for The Wake of Vanport 2, visit:
http://www.theskanner.com/news/northwest/24683-the-wake-of-vanport-to-screen-new-stories
The Wake of Vanport 2 premieres in
Portland, Oregon on Sunday, November 20 at 4:30 PM.
To
attend the screening, visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wake-of-vanport-2016-series-tickets-29062163714
|
“The
Wake of Vanport,” oral history documentary project will show
ten new stories of Vanport survivors
|
No comments:
Post a Comment