Removing Debris at the State Capitol in Salem, Oregon.

The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 (also known as the Big Blow)
was a Pacific Northwest windstorm that originated from typhoon
Freda and struck the West Coast of Canada and the Pacific
Northwest coast of the United States on October 12, 1962.

The system brought strong winds to the Pacific Northwest and southwest Canada. It was linked to 46 fatalities in the northwest
and Northern California resulting from heavy rains and mudslides. 

Estimates put the dollar damage at approximately $230 million to
$280 million for California, Oregon, and Washington combined.

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. (now MetLife) named the
Columbus Day Storm the nation’s worst natural disaster of
1962.