Douglas, Coos counties declare states of emergency following floods

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Douglas and Coos counties each declared a state of emergency this week in response to the flooding and slides that swamped neighborhoods, washed out roads, prompted numerous water rescues and killed a Jackson County woman over the weekend.

Gov. Tina Kotek’s office told KOIN 6 News Tuesday the governor is closely monitoring impacts to communities in southwest Oregon and assessing damage from the flooding and landslides. Kotek is advising Oregonians in the affected areas to stay informed, avoid travel, if possible, prepare for power outages and review post-flooding safety tips. 

Coos County Commissioner Drew Farmer told KOIN 6 News that officials are worried more damage could occur as the floodwater subsides.

“With some roads still being flooded we have concerns that, once the water recedes, we will see a suction effect that will pull additional material out from under our roads resulting in additional road failures,” Farmer said.

On Monday, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Coordination Center to Level 3 for the region.

“Multiple local and tribal emergency operations centers are also activated, and OEM is working closely with local, tribal, and state partners to monitor impacts and support response and recovery operations as needed,” OEM stated in a press release. “The Level 3 activation allows OEM to maintain situational awareness, facilitate information-sharing, and help fulfill resource requests from impacted jurisdictions.”

Declaring an emergency at the local level can free up funds to address disasters and is the first step for local governments to request state or federal assistance. Although Lane and Jackson counties were also affected by the floods, neither county has declared a state of emergency.

“Damages that we know of so far are relatively minor, though damage on Highway 227 may change that,” Jackson County Administrator Danny Jordan told KOIN. “We also haven’t exhausted our resources in house yet and aren’t looking for state or outside help. If we do meet our public assistance threshold, then our emergency manager will recommend we move forward with one.”

Kotek has not declared a state of emergency at the state level for the flooding. Local officials, meanwhile, are working to get the word out that the region may have suffered its worst flood in decades.

“I made it around most of our cities and some outlying communities yesterday and the problem is substantial,” Farmer said. “I’ve heard some of our old timers say they haven’t seen flooding like this since the 1960s.”