This is KGW News at Sunrise.
Good morning and thanks for
getting up with us on this Sunday.
I'm China Green this morning on Sunrise,
the aftermath of that devastating
earthquake in Morocco.
The natural disaster is half a world away,
but Portlanders are trying to stay in
touch with family and friends and Africa.
Plus, a long neglected firefighter
memorial takes another hit.
What thieves stole from the
David Campbell memorial.
But first, let's check in with Daisy
Caballero for a quick look at our forecast.
Good morning, Daisy. Hey,
good morning, China and good morning
to all of our viewers. Happy Sunday.
As we're looking outside right
now within the last six hours,
we are starting to see a little bit more of
that cloud coverage off of the coastline
headed our way for the Willamette Valley.
Rain is actually headed for BC
and also parts of Washington.
But like I said, the coastline is already
seeing what we will soon be seeing.
But for now we're just seeing
those high clouds,
mostly sunny skies for the time
being 61 degrees at this very moment
it is 53 in Hillsboro,
54 in Forest Grove,
52 in King City and right now Portland
seems to be the warmest spot in our region.
So what to expect for today?
Vancouver and also for Longview?
Those low 80s for both
Vancouver and Longview,
84 degree high for us here in the Rose City.
But we'll talk more about the potential
for some light drizzle in some areas.
Who will see that drizzle
coming up in my full forecast?
Daisy, thank you.
So this morning we're getting
a better understanding of the
situation in Morocco following
Friday's 6.8 magnitude earthquake.
The death toll stands at more than 2000.
Video taken during the quake shows
this scene in the city of Marrakesh.
You can also see people running,
barely escaping.
Debris falls from a building.
Suddenly we saw things falling from above,
like dishes and other things
that were fixed to the wall.
We were unable to sit or stand.
Then we fled outside.
Now there's a desperate search
for survivors in the rubble
of collapsed buildings.
Morocco We're told this was the
most powerful quake to hit this
area in more than 120 years.
Oregonians with family Morocco
can only watch this footage and
wait for news as it comes in.
Ashley Graham's talked to those
living in Oregon whose hearts
are reeling for friends and
family and the African nation.
Let's take a look at where this is.
6.8 magnitude earthquake hit
the high Atlas Mountains just
South of the city of Marrakech,
while Morocco is thousands of miles away.
The tragedy is felt even
here in downtown Portland.
This video shows part of the 6.8
magnitude earthquake that hit Morocco.
You can hear the sirens
because it just, like, lasted for so long.
It just kept like,
shaking or just like, Oh my.
Like, we just, like,
kept looking around at
each other in disbelief.
That's Joseph Niedermayer, a Portlander
on vacation when the quake hit.
Luckily, he was safe, but there were
many people who didn't make it out.
Just pray for right now and just like,
ask everybody to pray for Morocco.
Kareem lives in Portland, but his
wife and daughter are in Morocco.
My heart felt broken and I called
him as soon as I get off work.
Naji, the owner of Kasba Moroccan
Cafe in Old Town, did the same thing,
picking up his phone to call his family.
People start calling.
People start like chick chicken on
each other, sharing phone numbers.
Both say their families are safe but scared.
You don't know what's could happen.
The street were like full of
people and they were panicking
and he did not know what to do.
Many Moroccans spent the night outside.
They were like afraid to
go back to where they live.
So they were just everybody in the
street waiting for another earthquake.
Now a country suffering great
loss tries to pick up the pieces.
Any tragedy happen to anyone
who will be there to help them,
and Kareem just wants his
wife and daughter home safe.
She's like, can't wait and me too.
I can't wait to see them here. Important
rescue workers are still making
their way into the mountains to
some of the more remote areas near
the epicenter where they expect
to see some of the worst damage.
Ashley Grahams, KGW News
For years, a memorial for
firefighters on Burnside has
been forgotten. In fact,
the David Campbell memorial has been
trashed and spray painted for years.
But this week it got even
worse when someone removed
nameplates of firefighters who gave
their lives. Thomas Schultz has more. For
close to a century, this memorial has
been a part of Southwest Portland,
guarding the gates of Providence Park.
Know for years it's been a
shell of what it once was.
It's just senseless vandalism.
The David Campbell Memorial named after
Portland's Fire Chief for more than
a century ago. On June 26th, 1911,
Chief Campbell responded to a massive
fire at the Union Oil Distributing Plant.
He borrowed a coat from one of his men
and attacked the fire from inside.
A massive explosion blew off the roof.
Chief Campbell never made it out.
After that, the citizens of Portland
built this memorial honoring
Chief Campbell and the subsequent
firefighters who died in the line of
duty after him. But their sacrifices
have been forgotten in their memory.
Taken literally. Destroyed.
Damaged, you know, disappeared.
Don Port spent 27 years
fighting Portland fires.
Now he takes care of this memorial.
He's seen his fair share of graffiti,
but this is worse than usual.
Brass nameplate stolen, Italian limestone
broken and Lantern lenses shattered.
And it's a shame that people go about
and vandalize an area like this.
Christian has lived on
Portland streets for years.
He spends a lot of time here and sees
people desecrate the memorial often.
Imagine being a firefighter.
This died, you know?
But why would someone steal
their brass nameplates?
You know? It's not like aluminum
cans where it's 5-10 cents,
it's by the pound. So it's like,
I think like $3 a pound. A few
bucks to melt down a plaque of
someone who gave their life.
While the memorial has long
been forgotten by many,
they were remembered here.
But now the only ones who will
remember them are those trying
to keep their legacies alive.
Carl Gunster, his nameplate is
no longer here, Died in a fire
in the May apartments in 1921
in Southwest Portland.
Thomas Schultz, KGW News.