It was a bitterly cold afternoon on January 13th, and the area was being pounded by the worst ice storm the county has seen in many years. Veneta’s Transportation Maintenance Coordinator Jake Jensen was slowly negotiating his way home at approximately 2:30 on Highway 126 after assisting a coworker on Highway 36. As he approached the Knowles Creek tunnel in Mapleton, he saw that the westbound lanes were blocked by fallen trees resulting in motorists becoming stranded in the winter weather.
Armed with three power saws, extra chains, fuel, and a lot of determination to get the job done, Jensen got right to work clearing dozens of ice laden trees that had fallen after the bitter cold caused them to also freeze from the inside. Some motorists also lent a hand, moving limbs out of the way as soon as they were liberated from the tree they had grown on. Jensen, a seventeen year employee of the public works department was battling extreme fatigue, 18-degree temperatures, freezing rain and fast encroaching darkness as he worked but he toiled on until a path just wide enough to drive through was finally created. Jensen said he had to rotate his saws as he worked, keeping the two he was not using in the cab of his truck so they would not freeze and used up six sets of chains in the process of cutting a path to freedom for those entrapped. While he worked as quickly as he could, Jensen could hear other trees going down all around him seemingly nonstop. At one point, he encountered a trio of vehicles enroute to Florence. Before continuing east, he got them turned around so they could follow him back to Veneta before both Highway 126 and Highway 36 were closed for the next three days. Other associates who were made aware of what was happening out on the highway via continuous updates by Jensen to dispatch dropped what they were doing and went to aid in removing the fallen trees from the roadway, though Jensen did all the saw work. At one point, Jensen decided to turn his bright headlights off so he would be unable to see how many more trees were left to cut up and allow himself to focus on just one tree at a time. At one point, a tree struck Jensen’s truck, causing damage to the Variable Message Sign and rack, but he continued undaunted in leading the convoy of vehicles back to safety. It wasn’t until 9:00 that evening, when Jensen finally arrived in Veneta, six and a half hours after he initially left Highway 36, exhausted but filled with the knowledge that he had done what he had to do. All told, over a dozen vehicles and the numerous passengers within were freed from the tangle of trees thanks to Jensen’s willingness to put others over self and no small amount of can-do attitude. For Jensen this was just a day’s work, but for those he rescued, it was so much more. Had he not come along, those motorists who were stranded on a cold, icy, winter afternoon may have been forced to spend the night in their vehicles, in the darkness of the Coast Range mountains while at the mercy of nature while awaiting daylight and hopefully, help. As it was, they were able to reach their destinations and safety. A modest man who does not feel comfortable talking about himself, Jensen is a hero, and he deserves our thanks for doing what he did. He might tell you he was just doing his job, but to those he helped and for those who love them, it was so much more. He and all those involved in this rescue are applauded for their dedication to keeping the public safe. Caption – Jake Jensen, Veneta Transportation Maintenance Coordinator Trees lay across an ice shrouded Highway 126
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