Senators Say $1.2 Million Will Help Flood Recovery

Smith and Wyden toured the hardest hit areas of the Oregon coast immediately following the storm.

U.S. Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Ron Wyden (D-OR)

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - U.S. Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced today that up to $1.2 million in federal funds will be available for clean-up and recovery efforts in Oregon communities that have been devastated by recent flooding. The money will target the counties of Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, and Yamhill.

"This funding will help those Oregonians impacted by the devastating flood," said Smith. "Senator Wyden and I will continue to work together to bring the communities and families in Northwest Oregon the resources they need to help them get back on their feet."

"I’ve seen first hand the devastation caused by these floods," said Wyden. "Families are trying to put their lives back together after the storms swept away everything. This money is a step forward on the long road to recovery."

The relief funds will come from the U.S. Department of Labor and will be administered by the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development.

In addition to providing food, clothing, shelter, and other humanitarian assistance for disaster victims, the funding will go towards providing temporary employment to assist in clean-up and recovery efforts, targeting workers who were dislocated as a result of the December 2007 storms.

Smith and Wyden toured the hardest hit areas of the Oregon coast immediately following the storm. The rains made landfall on December 3rd 2007 and dumped more than 10" of rain on coastal Oregon with gusts up to 120 mph.

Less than a week later, the President declared the area a federal disaster area.