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East Oregonian
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Flooding: ‘I can see the river from my front room now’
Continued from Page A1
something resembling normal
seemed overwhelming.
Blessedly, they weren’t
alone. Wohlcke said various
individuals, agencies and orga-
nizations stepped up to help
people harmed by the flood.
She ticked off the names of
Samaritan’s Purse, Team
Rubicon, CAPECO, the city
and others.
“If it wasn’t for those people
and all the volunteers, we
would have had no sunshine,”
she said.
She also feels grateful to a
local coalition that was created
solely because of the flooding
— the Blue Mountain Region
Long-Term Recovery Group.
The name is a mouthful, but
the mission is clear.
“Our main goal is to make
sure that people return to a
safe, sanitary and secure way
of life,” said Christy Lieuallen,
who co-chairs the group and
is executive director of United
Way of the Blue Mountains.
“We’re not trying to make
them whole again. If we had
all the money in the world, we
could. But we can’t. So we’re
looking at primary homeown-
ers and returning them to a
safe, sanitary and secure living
condition.”
The Okanogan County
Long Term Recovery Group,
which arose to assist victims of
the largest wildfire in recorded
Washington history in 2014,
serves as a model for the Blue
Mountain group.
Blue Mountain co-chair
David Reinholz said the group
serves Umatilla County in
Oregon and Walla Walla and
Columbia counties in Wash-
ington. Lieuallen and Reinholz
meet weekly with CAPECO,
the Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation,
faith-based groups and others,
as well as disaster experts from
county, state and federal agen-
cies.
Lead case manager
Maraena Allen-Lewis heads
a team of five case managers.
By March, the team’s to-do
list included investigating over
600 households in Oregon and
Washington reported as being
impacted by flooding. The
case managers observed a
great deal of destruction.
“The damage was pretty
significant in both Walla Walla
and Umatilla counties, but the
lion’s share of the effects we
have seen have been largely
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Debris litters the Wohlckes’ street at the Riverview Mobile Home
Estates in Pendleton after floodwaters receded on Feb. 8, 2020.
on the Oregon side,” Allen-
Lewis said. “The majority of
those 600 households were in
Oregon.”
The case managers weeded
out those who didn’t actually
need help or ones who expe-
rienced damage to residences
that weren’t primary. For the
majority making the cut, the
needs varied greatly, Allen-
Lewis said, from assistance
with insurance to weatheriza-
tion.
Case manager Sharon
Neuvirth helped the Wohl-
ckes submit a successful
appeal to the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency
(FEMA) for additional assis-
tance, which allowed the
couple purchase a stove insert
for heat.
Each case has its own
unique twist. One family with
several young children had a
heating and cooling system
destroyed in the flood.
“They had no way of
covering that cost themselves
so we were able to help them
out by getting someone out
there to assist and figure out
what a new HVAC system
would entail, and then support
them financially by getting a
new energy-efficient HVAC
system installed in the home,”
she said.
Another family found
themselves displaced.
“With the support of one of
our case managers, they were
able to locate an apartment,”
Allen-Lewis said. “Our unmet
needs table was able to provide
the finances to cover the cost
of the security deposit and two
months of rental assistance for
them so they could be secure
and safe in that home.”
The “unmet needs table,”
one of many working parts, is
a collection of organizations
with manpower, money and
materials to meet needs of
disaster survivors. Another
committee provides spiritual
and emotional support. Still
another recruits, trains and
coordinates volunteers.
“We’re looking for volun-
teers, who once COVID
restrictions have lifted can do
everything from picking up
rocks to helping put insulation
back under trailers to building
fence,” Lieuallen said. “We
have projects lined up and we
definitely need volunteers.”
So far, case managers have
closed about 280 of the origi-
nal cases, are actively working
130 more, and will soon focus
on remaining households.
Reinholz is already look-
ing ahead to the area’s next
disaster. He hopes the Blue
Mountain Region Long-Term
Recovery Group will play an
even bigger role next time.
“We need to convince a
whole lot of other people that
we are a player in this thing,”
he said. “The long-term
recovery group needs to be
at the table with emergency
management, with state and
with the feds, so we can all
respond effectively right from
the get-go.”
He encouraged people
seeking help or wanting to
volunteer or donate to go to
the group’s website: www.
uwblue mt .org /c ont e nt /
flood-recovery.
The Wohlckes are getting
close to having their previous
life back. After months in a
camp trailer, the couple is back
home working on remaining
repairs. They have a better
view of the river now, the
result of some brush-clearing
work there. Connie said she’ll
be keeping her eye on the
water, especially since snow
blanketed her neighborhood
and the surrounding moun-
tains with snow.
“I can see the river from
my front room now,” she said.
“I’m a little worried.”
EAST'40OREGON
marketplace
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211 S.E. Byers Ave.
333 E. Main St.
We accept:
Pendleton, OR 97801 Hermiston, OR 97838
See www.eastFSOoregonmarketplace.com for classified ads from all over Eastern Oregon
EAST OREGONIAN • HERMISTON HERALD • BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE • WALLOWA COUNTY CHIEFTAIN
104 Special Notices
NOTICE OF SALE
Highland Mini Storage
1330 W Highland Ave
Hermiston, OR 97838
541-567-1112
Contents of:
Unit 229 Juan E Brambila
Unit 339 Elieser V Chavez
Unit 644 Danielle L Felton
Unit 737 Michael D Gilliland
Unit 316 Camile L Mason
Unit 344 Rebecca A Mayes
354 Auction Sales
AUCTION!
Sunday, February 21, 2021
80824 Kik Lane, Hermiston
Auction starts at 11am.
The preview begins at 9.
Masks are required and there
must be social distancing.
Some of the items of the sale
are: Larry Zabel “attack on
the wagons” western print,
Children and adult books,
Old glassware, Vintage ladies
hats, Hand tools, Snap on oil
pan, Pocket watches, Swords
and knives, A camel back
trunk and much more.
will be sold to the highest bid-
der. Sale to take place on
Wednesday March 3, 2021
at 1:00 PM at the facility.
Text FORDSAUCTION to
844-957-2516 to subscribe
to our newsletter. For photos
and lists go to Fords Auc-
tion on Facebook. We ac-
cept cash, check, and credit
cards. 10% buyer’s premium
in place. All items are as is.
Contact us for consignments
and estate sales.
Ford Bonney: 541-561-5798
WHATEVER YOU ARE
looking for, don’t buy until you’ve
FKHFNHGWKH&ODVVLÀHGV
CALL 1-800-962-2819
to advertise here!
Classified Ads work hard for you!
&DOOIRU\RXUFODVVL¿HGDGWRGD\
Unit 833 Tammie S Phillips
Unit 740 Piper D Pierce
Unit 126 Eugene L Stace
360 Garage Sales
504 Homes for Sale
651 Help Wanted
YARD SALE: February 19th and
20th; 9am-4pm. 332 Colum-
bia Ave. NW, Boardman, OR.
Craftsman riding mower w/ bag-
ger, high banker, antique wagon
wheels, steel wheels, vintage
garden tools, traps, cherry
picker, ladders, crafts, jewelry
making, power tools, mechanics
tools, axes, odd vintage items,
letter canceller, postal scales.
Masks and social distancing
recommended. For pics, go to
4-Z’s Auction on Facebook.
What is on your Real Estate
WISHLIST?
Call Kerry at 541-377-6855 for
all your Real Estate needs.
TURN HERE
REALTY & TRAVEL
Part-Time Dental Hygienist
position in a fun, quality ori-
ented general dental office
in Hermiston, OR. Days are
flexible.
Experience
pre-
ferred however open to new
or recent graduates. Please
send resume to officemgr@
col-dental.com.
502 Real Estate
541-377-6855
A phone call Away! Help to find
the home for you with access to
all possible homes on your list.
Please call with your questions
for the answers to help you into
your new home.
305 SW Court Ave., Pendleton
TURN HERE
REALTY & TRAVEL
BUY IT! SELL IT!
FIND IT!
CALL
1-800-962-2819
There are limited homes
available in our market and
I have buyers!
Call Kerry at 541-377-6855 to
sell your home with
TURN HERE
REALTY & TRAVEL
Check today’s classified
ads for excellent buys on
the items you need!
Is accepting applications for
a full-time Bio Science Re-
search Technician II posi-
tion. Anticipated start date
is March 15, 2021. Position
description,
requirements,
and application at https://
jobs.oregonstate.edu, search
(posting # P02879CT). Clos-
ing date is February 28, 2021.
Call for information, 541-567-
6337. OSU is an EOAAE.
Low Interest Rates
Connections with Financing...
Choices with homes to suit
you... Please call or Text 541-
377-6855 or Email Kerry at kjc-
baird@gmail.com
TURN HERE
REALTY & TRAVEL
604 Apartments
BLUE HAVEN APARTMENTS
in Hermiston, senior housing, 2
bed, 1 bath for rent. New kitch-
en, new bath, new paint & car-
pet, no pets, no smoking, laun-
dry room on site. $600 deposit,
$800 a month. Please call 541-
571-9406.
EVERYTHING is coming up results
when you use a classified ad!
IF YOU HAVE an eye for real
value, you’ll eye the classified
ads regularly.
MED CAL DIRECTORY
651 Help Wanted
Full-Time Employment
The USDA Farm Service
Agency in Pendleton has
an opening for a permanent
Farm Loan Program Techni-
cian. Interested individuals
should visit https://www.us-
ajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDe-
tails/585116400 to complete
an online application under
the Tualatin, OR location.
This vacancy will close at the
end of the open period listed
or when a selection has been
made, whichever comes first.
FSA is an Equal Opportunity
Employer. Pendleton, OR.
(541)278-8049karie.walker@
usda.gov
IT WILL SELL
EMAIL : CLASSIFIEDS @ EASTOREGONIAN . COM
I N C LASSIFIEDS !
Contact Your Sales Rep Today!
Hermiston & surrounding areas
Kelly : 541-564-4531
Pendleton & surrounding areas
Angela : 541-966-0827
ASSISTED LIVING
MENTAL HEALTH
ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON
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CRISIS PHONE:
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331 SE 2nd St., Pendleton
541-276-6207
595 NW 11th St., Hermiston
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PEDIATRIC DENTIST
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541-289-5433
1060 W. Elm,
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Good Shepherd Medical Center)
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Hours:
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FAMILY MEDICINE/URGENT CARE
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Family Care • Minor Injuries
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We accept Medicare & some
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995 Orchard Ave., Hermiston