This is what happens with high winds following days and days of rain.
The soil becomes saturated and the force of the wind hitting that large mass of trunk and limbs causes entire trees to topple.
I’m sure this isn’t the only casualty around Portland due to yesterday’s high winds — reported gusts up to 67 mph at the airport!
Portland Tree Tour 
It always makes me sad to see fallen trees… The roadways were littered with trees and large branches when I drove home yesterday – it was pretty scary. And today, at a measure this morning, an entire portion of a fence had blown down. And to think it was only 67 mph gusts. Glad we’re not in the Philippines.
Anna, I know the sadness you are talking about — I remember losing a tall pine tree that was the only feature of a rental house front yard years ago in a wind storm this same way.
I saw that tree too, such a small amount of roots that came up with it! There are branches all around my neighborhood but no fallen trees that I noticed. I did see bits of sawdust in the roads I traveled on Friday, people were quick to clean up.
The Doug firs behind your house must have been whipping around in that storm, Loree! Out jogging today I saw a huge hemlock snapped and fell at NE 38th and Rosa Parks.
Our neighbor lost a parking strip tree that was at least 50 years old. 😦 Thankfully, all houses were spared.
It’s always good when property and people escape harm. But it does take a long time for a replacement tree to fill in for the original!