GRESHAM, Ore. – Record rainfall in the Pacific Northwest kept U-Haul Moving and Storage of Gresham busy dealing with a flood of both water and customers.

Despite the water reaching as high as thigh level, General Manager Bill Stone and his crew stayed open and helped customers get what they needed to protect their property from encroaching water. “We had quite a few people come to our store for trucks and trailers due to flooding of houses in the area,” explained Customer Service Representative Nathan Doering. “And the roads became exceptionally busy due to a major sinkhole nearby.”

The team in Gresham was able to get through the ordeal and treat it like any other day. “We have our marching orders … and that is to take care of our customers,” Stone stated. “We may have sold a few more boxes to people whose need was more ‘because they have to‘ as opposed to packing things up ‘because they want to,‘ but opening our doors and staying open during an event like this provides reassurance to people. Yes, this is a challenge, but we’re all going to get through it.”

“Even in the worst weather Bill stays positive and keeps the equipment rolling,” said Doering with a laugh.

Once city workers were able to resolve issues with their systems being overwhelmed by millions of gallons of water, “Lake U-Haul” drained from the dispatch and receiving area. No damage was reported to any of the property.

“Each of us, every working day of our U-Haul lives will face challenges of one kind or another,” Stone shared. “This brief deluge was no different for us. We improvised, we adapted and we most certainly overcame those challenges.”

Have you experienced flooding in your community? Tell us about what you did to prepare and stay safe in the comments.