The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Monday, November 15, 2021
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Rain before 1pm, then showers, mainly between 1pm and 4pm. The rain could be heavy at times. Patchy fog between 11am and noon. Temperature rising to near 62 by 11am, then falling to around 52 during the remainder of the day. Very windy, with a south wind 35 to 40 mph becoming northwest 24 to 29 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tuesday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. North northeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
Wednesday– Partly sunny, with a high near 52. East northeast wind around 9 mph.
Thursday– Rain. High near 56. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Friday– Rain likely, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55.
North Oregon Coast Recovering from “Atmospheric River” Event that Dumped from 4″ to over 8″ of Rain
An “atmospheric river” event dumped from 4″ to over 8″ throughout the North Oregon Coast over the weekend causing all major rivers to rise to and above flood stage. The rain was tapering off later on Friday afternoon, and the rivers are expected to slowly drop over the next 24 hours.
Use extreme caution traveling anywhere on the Oregon Coast as the rainfall can trigger landslides.
U.S. 101 and OR 6 remained closed by high water near Tillamook for most of the weekend. Travelers met high water on roads in many locations on the central and northern coast. Slides and downed trees were possible. Flaggers controlled traffic around high water on OR 18 Salmon River Highway near Otis, at mile point 1.
Coast Guard from North Bend Rescue People Trapped by Floodwaters in Tillamook
Coast Guard from North Bend helps rescue people trapped by floodwaters in Tillamook in an RV park.
Personnel from Coast Guard Station Depoe Bay are assisted with on-the-ground rescue coordination and communications.
“Local fire department personnel are coordinating the response and a Tillamook County dispatcher requested Coast Guard air assistance to evacuate the individuals due to rising waters and a threat of mudslides,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “It was reported that approximately 50 adults live in the affected area, and there are no reported injuries.”
Mapleton Water District Asks Customers to Conserve Water Immediately As Plant is Down
At 4:52 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, Mapleton Water Board sent out a release asking local consumers to conserve water.
According to Board Member Sharon Schrenk, “This is critical, as the plant is down.”
MWD Board Director Dustin Basurto confirmed that the plant is down. People are being asked to conserve water until further notice.
Those with questions can call Mapleton Water District office at 541-268-4348.
Oregon reports 1,811 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 20 new deaths
There are 20 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,750. Oregon Health Authority reported 1,811 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 on Friday bringing the state total to 378,174.
The 1,811 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the two-day period between Wednesday, Nov. 10 and Thursday, Nov. 11.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (8), Benton (37), Clackamas (203), Clatsop (9), Columbia (26), Coos (11), Crook (9), Curry (3), Deschutes (156), Douglas (85), Gilliam (10), Grant (4), Hood River (5), Jackson (95), Jefferson (22), Josephine (37), Klamath (71), Lake (11), Lane (155), Lincoln (25), Linn (133), Malheur (2), Marion (101), Morrow (7), Multnomah (274), Polk (31), Sherman (2), Tillamook (12), Umatilla (22), Union (4), Wasco (8), Washington (165) and Yamhill (68).
State to pause accepting new applications for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program on December 1
Federal funds for OERAP nearly fully allocated to applicants — State pursuing additional federal, state resources to continue rental assistance
Oregon Housing and Community Services estimates that nearly all the $289 million in federal emergency rental assistance allocated by the U.S. Department of Treasury to the state of Oregon has been requested, and the program will be fully subscribed in the coming weeks. As a result, the state announced today a pause in accepting new applications for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) for six weeks, starting on Dec. 1, at 11:59 p.m. The pause will ensure the state can keep its commitment to every Oregon renter that applies for assistance until that time. In the intervening weeks, OHCS will work with the Governor’s Office and legislative leaders to pursue solutions at the federal, state, and local levels to continue to help Oregon renters.
The state allocated the federal funding more quickly than many other counties and states. Oregon is currently ranked 7th nationwide in percent of federal emergency rental assistance (ERA1) funds paid or obligated. The U.S. Department of Treasury allocated a total of nearly $360 million to Oregon, in two waves, ERA1 and ERA2. Of that total, $289 was available for rental assistance payments. OHCS estimates that nearly all of the funds for rental assistance have been requested based on applications received to date.
“It is clear the need for emergency rental assistance is far greater than the amount of federal funding available for the program at this time. This pause will allow the agency to advocate for additional federal funding or other resources at the state level, focus on quickly processing applications and assess whether we have adequate funding available to accept new applications,” said OHCS Director Margaret Salazar.
The OERAP program has provided more than $130 million in emergency rental assistance to more than 19,600 Oregon renters impacted by the pandemic. In addition to the eviction moratorium and the more than $319 million in rental assistance distributed in 2021, the OERAP program has been critical to staving off evictions for nonpayment statewide. The agency acknowledges that despite these measures, renters are still at risk.
“We continue to be concerned about the many renters who are at risk for experiencing the trauma of eviction. OHCS is working around the clock to continue accelerating payments and we are fighting for more resources for Oregon,” said Salazar.
OHCS will shift the focus to advocating for more federal funding and processing applications currently in the queue. The agency is in the process of formally requesting additional federal funding after the state met a critical benchmark of paying or obligating at least 65% of ERA1 funding by Sept. 30. At the beginning of October, OHCS submitted a letter requesting U.S. Department of Treasury funding and will submit a formal request next week. In addition, Governor Brown and legislative leaders continue to explore potential solutions using alternative state resources while requests for federal funding are pending.
Information for Renters
Anyone who has fallen behind on rent or may get behind on December rent is encouraged to apply for emergency rental assistance right away, but before Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. at oregonrentalassistance.org.
After Dec. 1, the agency encourages people to apply for other emergency rental assistance programs across the state to receive the 60-day safe harbor period (90 days in Multnomah County and unincorporated areas of Washington County). Some cities and counties received ERA funding directly from the U.S. Department of Treasury:
- City of Portland and Multnomah County, 503-222-5555
- Clackamas County, 503-655-8575
- Lane County, 541-682-3776
- Marion County, 971-706-1364
- Washington County, 503-615-0770
People can also contact 211 or Community Action Agencies in their area.
During the pause, OHCS and local program administrators will continue processing all remaining completed applications quickly, prioritizing those outside the 60-/90-day windows of protection. The agency expects that all completed applications in the queue will be processed and paid as soon as possible.
OHCS will be notifying anyone with an incomplete application to complete their application before that deadline through a series of correspondences.
If a renter has received an eviction notice, they should call 211. If a renter has received a court summons for eviction, they should call the Oregon Law Center’s Eviction Defense Project line (888-585-9638) or send an email to evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org to seek legal help.
Multiple Victims in Shooting in Chiloquin
According to the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, multiple people were shot in Chiloquin Sunday evening. Few details have been released at this time.
There is an ongoing investigation into an incident in the 900 block of Bronco Lane north of Chiloquin. There are multiple shooting victims and the suspect is in custody. The Klamath County Major Crime Team has been activated.
Injured OSP Trooper Update, Nov. 15
The Oregon State Police Trooper, who was injured in the police incident on highway 30, has been identified as Trooper John Jeffries. Trooper John Jeffries started with the Oregon State Police in March of 2021, after retiring from the FBI after 20 years of service. Trooper Jeffries is currently duty stationed at the St. Helens worksite.
Trooper Jeffries and his wife have spent the last 25 years in Portland, Oregon where they raised their two sons. Trooper Jeffries has spent his life in service to the public. The Oregon State Police asks that you respect the family’s privacy at this time. We also ask for your prayers for Trooper Jeffries, his family, his friends as well as the entire OSP family.
Two people were hit by vehicles and killed in two separate accidents in Linn and Marion Counties over the weekend
The first crash happened on Friday, November 12, according to Oregon State Police (OSP). At around 9:19 p.m., OSP troopers responded to a crash on I-5 near milepost 254 in Salem involving a car and a woman. According to OSP, the victim, identified as Christina Klug, 26, got out of her boyfriend’s car, which was parked in the median, and walked into a lane of traffic and was hit. Klug was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with law enforcement.
Then, in Linn County on Nov. 13, troopers responded to an accident involving a man and a semi at around 7:09 p.m.
According to OSP, the accident occurred on I-5 near milepost 234, outside of Albany. The victim, identified as Daniel Montoya, 39, was seen laying down on the northbound side of I-5 before he began running across both the northbound and southbound lanes.
A car not involved in the accident swerved to miss hitting Montoya, but the semi-truck behind that car could not stop in time. It struck Montoya and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Forecasters Expect Oregon’s Fastest Job Growth in Bend and Portland Areas
Oregon’s next decade of job growth will likely mirror the last, state forecasters expect, with hiring concentrated in urban areas that increasingly dominate the regional economy.
To a large degree that reflects the urbanization of Oregon’s economy, and of America’s. But it also reflects some lingering effects from COVID-19. Overall, the Oregon Employment Department expects the state will add 300,000 jobs by 2030. That’s roughly 17% growth – a strong pace but down from the robust 21% growth in the last decade.
That growth won’t be distributed equally, though. Oregon’s fastest-growing counties in the Bend and Portland areas will grow by 18%, economists expect. The tri-county Portland area will add more than half of all new Oregon jobs in the coming decade, according to the forecast.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/