State Assessment of Columbia County Flood Underway

The Columbia County Unmet Needs Committee is requesting that donations be made to the accounts set up at Wauna Federal Credit Union and US Bank.

Photo courtesy: Oregon State Police

(CLATSKANIE, Ore.) - Columbia County crews and staff from the Oregon Departments of Forestry and the Oregon Department of Transportation are working today to determine if there are any additional potential landslide sites. A log jam on a creek-fed drainage gave way and produced a large debris slide that covered US Hwy 30 at milepost 68 on Tuesday.

A second drainage area is being examined to determine whether it poses a slide threat. Columbia County Sheriffs Deputies evacuated families from six to eight homes in the areas of the two slides. Two persons from the affected areas were housed Tuesday night in an American Red Cross shelter at the Clatskanie Middle School. The other evacuees stayed with family and friends.

ODOT reports their heavy equipment crews are working continuously on restoring traffic flow on Hwy 30. Repair crews are installing two 24-inch culverts to replace one that was plugged by the debris flow. All lanes are currently closed. When the culverts are in place, only emergency traffic, school buses, and local residents will be allowed past the road blocks.

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Columbia County is formulating plans to maintain emergency medical and fire protection services response routes that were affected by the Hwy 30 slide. Appropriate resources will be moved into place to ensure adequate public safety.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will open its Disaster Recovery Center at the Vernonia City Hall on Thursday, December 13, 2007, and operate daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM through Saturday and from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Sunday.

Operation past Sunday will be determined by demand. FEMA staff will be available to answer questions or register flood-affected citizens for federal assistance. Citizens may also register on-line at fema.gov/assistance.

The Columbia County Unmet Needs Committee is requesting that donations be made to the accounts set up at Wauna Federal Credit Union and US Bank. Money from these accounts will be distributed directly to those residents affected by the flooding in Vernonia and the surrounding areas, to assist in recovery efforts.

Contact Wauna Federal Credit Union at 1010 Bridge St., Vernonia, 503-429-8031, or 800-773-3236, any Wauna branch, or contact any U.S. Bank branch. All funds donated in this manner will remain in the Columbia County area.