The latest news stories and stories of interest for the Oregon Beach cities from Astoria to Brookings and around the state of Oregon from the online digital home of the valley, OregonBeachMagazine.com.
Friday, September 18, 2020
Oregon Beach Weather
Today’s Headlines
Pacific Power is reporting outages this Friday morning on the Oregon Coast, near Lincoln City, as well as up and down the Interstate-5 corridor.
Specialized teams of structural specialists have been on-site at the incident all week to conduct inventories and assessments of structural damage.
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATES
- Officials with the Echo Mountain Complex have completed preliminary structural damage assessments in the fire area. 293 residential structures have been determined to be a total loss. An additional 22 residential structures have sustained damage. Numerous outbuildings, automobiles, RVs, trailers, boats, and other personal property were also destroyed.
“It’s a miracle that we are able to report that there are no fatalities associated with this incident.” said Incident Commander Rick Dolan.
Specialized teams of structural specialists have been on-site at the incident since Monday to conduct inventories and assessments of structural damage. Each of the impacted properties throughout the fire area has been assessed for loss or damage. Lincoln County will be publishing a more comprehensive and finalized list of structures by address at a later date.
The Echo Mountain Complex was ignited during the massive wind event that impacted western Oregon on September 7, 2020. The Echo Mountain Complex is comprised of the Kimberling and Echo Mountain Fires. Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 1 has been in command of the fire since September 10th.
Residents impacted by the Echo Mountain Complex can access information on re-entry and assistance at: https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/echomountainfire
Residents are reminded that while re-entry to many areas is allowed, numerous hazards remain around structures. Utility companies have been working in the affected neighborhoods to restore services.
Anticipated rainfall may be good news for air quality and ongoing fires, but Oregon officials warn that it could bring its own hazards. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for parts of the Cascade foothills within a list of counties — Hood River, Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Linn, Lane, Douglas, Coos, Jackson, and Klamath. The watch and lasts until noon today.
The agency says that debris flows can be fast-moving, particularly destructive landslides — often carrying boulders and logs downhill with a surge of soil and water slurry down steep hillsides and through narrow canyons.
Friday morning’s report for the Holiday Farm Fire’s footprint currently stands at an estimated at 172,510 acres and containment remains at 10%, east of Eugene and Springfield. The fire’s perimeter measures more than 260 miles.
After surveying more structures, fire officials now say 723 structures have been lost due to the Holiday Farm Fire. A total of 812 people are working to fight the fire.
The Urban Search and Rescue team has been moving through the area, headed west through Vida into the Goodpasture Road area. So far, one person has been confirmed dead, and three people remain missing. More than 200 people reported missing have been found.
Rain and showers are moving into the area today, Friday.
Utility companies and non-essential people will not be able to enter the Level 3 evacuation area or any area inside the fire footprint while the suspension lasts. Residents are also asked to avoid the roads affected by the fire. At this time, the suspension is expected to be lifted at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Lane County fire crews will be working their last shifts, and out-of-state resources will arrive to take their place. This will allow crews to return to their homes. They will remain heavily involved in the effort and can be called back in if there is a need.
A tree faller was injured by a fallen limb while working to clear roads within the fire area. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance for evaluation and treatment. His injuries do not appear to be life threatening.
Friday’s weather-An upper low will move across the fire area today and bring showers. The weather forecast continues to predict possible afternoon thunder storms with gusty erratic winds and small hail. Showers continue tonight and into Saturday but will gradually diminish.
Wildland fire crews will continue working to improve and increase fire containment using hand crews, fire engines and heavy machinery. Crews will be taking advantage of the wet weather to clear roads in the Quartz Creek area and will continue to focus along Hwy 126. Yesterday crews found and addressed a ten-acre spot fire.
Structural firefighters continue to work along Hwy 126 from Leaburg to Rainbow patrolling and clearing defensible space around houses. As conditions improve in and around buildings the need for structural resources is decreasing. This will allow these resources to return to protecting their home communities.
The Urban Search and Rescue Team will be entirely working west of Nimrod. They have completed 1,273 structural evaluations in the fire area. Structures include commercial buildings, residences and outbuildings. The US&R team is hoping to finish their work today and will be released when their mission is complete.
The Lane and Linn County Sheriff’s Offices continue to work with fire operations personnel to modify evacuation zones where appropriate. For the latest information on evacuation areas, please visit:
Lane County: www.lanecounty.org/mckenziefire
Linn County: www.linnsheriff.org/fire_live_updates_sept_2020/
Please continue to monitor cell phones, landlines, local media and official information sources for evacuation updates. Fire managers request that the public please avoid the area.
Roads are closed in the fire area and much of the Willamette National Forest (WNF) and Northwest Oregon District BLM. Road hazards include falling trees and rocks and debris. For more information on closures on the WNF visit:
For more information on closures on the Northwest Oregon BLM visit:
https://www.blm.gov/…/extreme-fire-activity-prompts-closure…
Fire personnel are warmed by the community’s support but are unable to accept donations or use volunteers. The fire must use individuals with the appropriate qualifications.
Even 12 days after the Holiday Farm Fire started, firefighters continue to mop up – checking for hot spots and creating a 100-foot defensible space around structures. This is an important mission in fire crews efforts to save lives and protect property for the next few weeks.
The Archie Creek Fire was 130,429 acres and 25% contained as of late Thursday night. There are 1,094 people assigned to the fire.
One of our reporters got a closer look Thursday at the situation on the ground.The Northwest Incident Management Team 9 transitioned command of the Archie Creek Fire over to the Southern Area Red Team on Friday, September 18 at 6 a.m. Changes in command are common on long-term incidents like major wildfires.Fire managers also wanted to alert the public that the Western Oregon Expo Fairgrounds in Cottage Grove has space for evacuees, livestock and tents.
Evacuees and livestock owners take note: The Western Oregon Expo Fairgrounds located in Cottage Grove has opened up and has space for evacuees, livestock and tents. They are working hard to organize donations as well.
They have a group of 50 volunteers for Saturday to move hay to make room for a big truckload coming.
Please contact Skye Hefner at 541-556-2727 for more information.
For livestock, contact Drew at 541-731-5741.
The state’s death toll from COVID-19 is unchanged from yesterday and remains at 521, the Oregon Health Authority reported Friday morning.
Oregon Health Authority reported 215 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of. yesterday bringing the state total to 30,060. The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory resumed normal operations yesterday after a three-day closure caused by HVAC problems and related poor indoor air quality. The lab is once again accepting and testing specimens.
The new cases are in the following counties: Benton (2), Clackamas (11), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Deschutes (7), Douglas (1), Grant (2), Hood River (1), Jackson (14), Jefferson (7), Klamath (7), Lane (23), Linn (11), Malheur (11), Marion (28), Morrow (1), Multnomah (43), Polk (2), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (7), Washington (29) and Yamhill (3).
Around the state of Oregon
President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for Oregon. This major disaster declaration follows an earlier, more limited federal emergency declaration issued on September 10, which brought some resources from FEMA into the state.
Governor Kate Brown’s office said that the major disaster declaration allows for additional communications resources, search and rescue support, debris management, and shelter and medical assistance. Representative Greg Walden stated that the supply of available housing will be tight in some areas, particularly southern Oregon. In the Phoenix and Talent areas, about 2,700 homes were destroyed, Walden said. Just 400 new housing units were built in all of Jackson County in 2019, he said. Now families need almost seven times that many new homes. The congressman said he’s heard that a rumor is circulating about housing vouchers being necessary to access temporary housing.
Regional Wildfire Information Center Established
MEDFORD, ORE – Southwest Oregon is currently experiencing high fire danger along with large fires and a high number of displaced residents. To address the information needs of the community, the Bureau of Land Management Medford District, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and the Oregon Department of Forestry have activated a Wildfire Information Center. The center’s mission is to answer questions and provide information about fire conditions, public lands closures and public use fire restrictions.
The Wildfire Information Center is publishing an information blog that aggregates fire information being produced by the various Incident Management Teams and makes it available in one location creating a one-stop-shop. A call center is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. seven-days a week.
Firefighting resources across the region are stretched thin due to the outbreak of numerous large fires across the Pacific Northwest that are threatening countless communities. In an effort to reduce the risk of wildfire on public lands and reduce the burden on initial attack resources, the Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service have closed large amounts of public lands across the region. All federal roads and trails located within the closure areas are closed to public access. More information on the closures, including maps, can be found on the Bureau of Land Management’s website at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions and on the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest’s website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou/
Over the weekend,the area is expecting a cooling trend potentially bringing lightening and some rain. However, by Monday temperatures are expected to become warm and dry again. We’re asking residents and visitors to the area to continue to be vigilant and take care not to accidently start a wildfire. Working together, we can protect lives and property from wildfires.
Before venturing out to enjoy southwest Oregon’s public lands, plan ahead and Know Before You Go. Find more information on the Southwest Oregon Wildfire Information Center blog or contact the Wildfire Information Center (458) 206-3043.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16th at around 6:45 am, Grants Pass RADE detectives with the assistance of GPDPS patrol units and narcotics detection K9 Match, arrested 73 year old William G. Van Tassell. RADE detectives obtained information Van Tassell was in possession of a large quantity of methamphetamine and located him driving his vehicle southbound on Interstate 5 in Josephine County.
A traffic stop was attempted on Van Tassell as he neared exit 58. Van Tassell chose to not pull over and drove several miles before spike strips were deployed by a patrol unit, deflating 3 of Van Tassell’s tires. He eventually was stopped and after K9 Match alerted to narcotics in his vehicle, 228.4 grams (approximately 1/2 pound) of methamphetamine was located, hidden in his vehicle. Van Tassell was arrested and lodged in the jail for Unlawful Delivery and Possession of Methamphetamine. More charges are expected to be added by the DA’s Office. Anyone with questions can contact Det. Sgt. Doni Hamilton 541-450-6370 or email at dhamilton@grantspassoregon.gov.
Oregon Department of Human Services Offices Update for Friday:
The following ODHS offices are closed:
– Estacada: 320 SW Zobrist St
– Eugene: 1015 Willamette St
– Keizer: 3420 Cherry Ave
– McMinnville: 368 NE Norton Ln
– Portland: 8129 SE Malden St
– Salem: 4074 Winema Pl NE
– Sublimity: 11656 Sublimity Rd SE
Please call your local ODHS office before attempting to visit in person, or connect with us through 211info or the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). Follow ODHS on Twitter and Facebook for the most up-to-date info.
The Justice Department explored whether it could pursue either criminal or civil rights charges against city officials in Portland, Oregon after clashes erupted there night after night between law enforcement and demonstrators, a department spokesperson said Thursday.
The revelation that federal officials researched whether they could levy criminal or civil charges against the officials — exploring whether their rhetoric and actions may have helped spur the violence in Portland — underscores the larger Trump administration’s effort to spotlight and crack down on protest-related violence. The majority of the mass police reform demonstrations nationwide have been peaceful. For many nights, federal officials were told that Portland police officers were explicitly told not to respond to the federal courthouse as hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside, some throwing bricks, rocks and other projectiles at officers, and not to assist federal officers who were sent to try to quell the unrest.
The federal government is declaring a Public Health Emergency in Oregon due to wildfire smoke. The declaration brings an Incident Management Team and regional emergency coordinators to work with state and local health authorities. It also activates the National Disaster Medical System to provide technical assistance to state officials and provides tools to support counties’ emergency response. Oregon has been suffocating under hazardous air quality conditions for about a week due to the ongoing wildfires.
With dozens of wildfires burning across Oregon, 911 call centers are noticing a concerning trend: a significant uptick in non-emergency calls related to wildfire evacuation. 911 centers taking calls from areas hit hardest by the wildfires are spending a significant amount of time looking up evacuation routes or urging residents to follow evacuation orders. But there’s a better number to call to get that information. Oregon residents who have questions about when or how to evacuate should contact 211info, a free, confidential referral and information service that connects residents to local health and human services. At the request of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, 211 recently set up a special wildfire line just for this purpose. Within 48 hours the team had fielded hundreds of calls pertaining to the wildfires. Residents should call 911 when there’s an immediate threat to life or property. For other non-life threatening issues that require police involvement, residents are asked to call the non-emergency number for their region.
Victims of Oregon wildfires and straight-line winds that began Sept. 7 now have until Jan. 15, 2021, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. Following the recent disaster declaration for individual assistance issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the IRS announced today that affected taxpayers in certain areas will receive tax relief. Individuals and households who reside or have a business in Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn and Marion counties qualify for tax relief. Taxpayers in localities added later to the disaster area will automatically receive the same filing and payment relief. The declaration permits the IRS to postpone certain tax-filing and tax-payment deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a business in the disaster area.
Thousands of Oregonians have evacuated to escape wildfires that have damaged and destroyed homes throughout the state. Many who evacuated did not have time to take important documents with them, including ownership documents for their manufactured home, and those documents may now be destroyed.
The Oregon Building Codes Division’s online system can provide manufactured home owners with that information, including the record of ownership. Having these documents is important when navigating the insurance process.
The Oregon Manufactured Home Ownership Document (MHOD) system is available at https://aca-oregon.accela.com/OR_MHODS/. The system allows people to search for their documents and, once they find them, print or email them.
“These times are stressful enough without having to locate ownership documents in a damaged or destroyed manufactured home,” said Lori Graham, interim administrator of the Building Codes Division, which is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. “Using the MHOD system is the easiest and quickest way for people to get their documents. Yet, if they need help, we can send them a printed copy.”
If customers need an existing ownership document mailed to them, but are displaced from their home, they can email or call, and the division can send it to any address customers want. Call 503-378-4530 or 800-442-7457 (toll-free) or email mhods.bcd@oregon.gov for help.
The MHOD system also has forms and applications, as well as other resources. People can access the records without needing to log in.
The 173rd Fighter Wing out of Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon has deployed nearly 120 Airmen to assist with containment of the devastating wildfires that have spread across the state, and additional personnel from the Wing are preparing to head out in the next few days.
Twelve Airmen left Saturday to support management of traffic control points in Central Oregon. Fifty additional Airmen were deployed on Tuesday for traffic control point management in the Rogue Valley. Fifty Airmen were deployed on Sunday to the Echo Mountain Fire in Lincoln City, Oregon. These Oregon Air Guardsmen deployed in support of OPLAN (Operation Plan) Smokey, an interagency agreement between the Oregon Military Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry which tasks the Oregon National Guard with assisting in the control and containment of wildfires, when called on by the governor.
The Airmen come from a variety of career backgrounds, spanning the entirety of Air Force career fields. Outside of their AF careers, these Airmen have volunteered and trained in order to serve in support of OPLAN Smokey in the event that they’re called on to do so. These teams will be assisting in several capacities: by aiding fire teams, checking for hot spots, traffic management, as well as evacuation assistance. The goal is to better enable civilian entities; be it police, fire fighters, or mortuary affairs, to manage the current crisis.
Fire officials say that evacuation levels have lowered for the town of Paisley, though firefighting efforts on the Brattain Fire continue. There are still Level 3 evacuations in place for certain areas. The Brattain Fire was last estimated at 44,800 acres with 20 percent containment. It is listed as a human-caused fire.
The Brattain fire started on September 7th, 2020 and is currently burning on the Paisley Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest. The Eastern Area Incident Management Team is currently managing the fire. Firefighting crews continue to operate on a 24-hour schedule and are battling winds, extremely dry conditions and shortages of firefighting resources.
Areas around Weed, Calif., which is considered a high fire risk area, remain under a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) watch today. Peak gusts are expected in an area north of Weed. If a PSPS is required, the company may reduce the potentially impacted customers from 2,500 to 600 and issue a PSPS to a sectionalized area. This area encompasses north east of Weed, north of Alamo Avenue, out to the Carrick area, a section just west of Old Stage Road and Old Hwy 99 South. This includes an area north of Edgewood. It does not include areas in Hammond Ranch and the community of Lake Shastina. The measure is a proactive effort to mitigate wildfire risk in the face of hazardous fire weather conditions including extremely low humidity, dry vegetation, elevated levels on key weather indexes and sustained winds and gusts. Customers have been notified of the watch through phone calls, email and text messages. Affected customers will continue to receive updates through ongoing communications. Customers can use the interactive map at www.pacificpower.net/psps to see if they are located in a PSPS area. Customers are encouraged to be prepared and have an outage kit ready.
OHA’s Weekly Report Shows Declining Case Count Trend
This week the report showed that new cases in Oregon have continued to decline as 1,294 cases were recorded from Sept. 7-13 —down 12% from last week’s tally of 1,477. In that same period, the number of Oregonians newly tested declined 35%, to 17,365, and the percentage of tests that were positive rose from 4.3% to 5.6%. This decline in the number of Oregonians tested occurred during the context of numerous active wildfires. OHA is closely monitoring this situation.
Twenty-nine Oregonians were reported to have died last week in association with COVID-19, compared to 23 last week. Eighty-three Oregonians were hospitalized; and with 47 in the previous week, the reported number of Oregonians hospitalized with COVID-19 is the lowest for any two-week period since mid-June.
As in past weeks of declining case counts, OHA reminds Oregonians that it remains very important to continue to wear face coverings, practice physical distancing and avoid gatherings to sustain the progress the state has made.