SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015
Toys for girls, toys for boys
S
oroptimist International
of Florence gathered
thousands of toys to give
to more than 150 families of
youth aged infant to 12 years
during the annual Christmas
Baskets giveaway last Saturday.
The community donated baby
dolls, bikes, sports gear, board
games, action figures, fashion
dolls, building sets and stuffed
animals at giving trees in loca-
tions all over the area.
Baskets
Siuslaw Valley Fire and
Rescue, Rotary International
of Florence and others donat-
ed their time and strength to
loading baskets, filling cars
and guiding traffic.
Youth and staff from Camp
Florence Youth Transitional
Facility helped unpack pallets
and load baskets.
Siuslaw High School stu-
dents from Rotary Interact,
Key Club and leadership also
helped out.
“We appreciate it,” Fraley
said. “It’s not just the
Soroptimists. A bunch of
organizations and individuals
helped make it successful.”
Community members
donated toys at 21 Giving
Tree locations in the area.
Although Fraley said they
do not count the number of
toys donated, the toys filled a
room at Florence Church of
the Nazarene.
Storm
PHOTOS BY
CHANTELLE MEYER
SIUSLAW NEWS
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St. Mary, Our Lady of the Dunes
Catholic Church
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Come Join
Us in
Celebration
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“We sent our firefighters
door to door in the affected
area,” said Fire Chief Jim
Langborg.
SVFR distributed a packet
called “Homeowner’s Guide
to Landslides” to residents
St. Andrew’s
Episcopal Church
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“It was a great year. The
community again stepped up
to the plate to give some ter-
rific gifts,” she said.
She counted 155 families
who were able to get multiple
gifts for each child.
“It’s wonderful that the
community gets to hear and
see the aftereffects these
events have. It’s powerful for
those who donated food,
money or toys to know that
they touched the life of a
child or family. ... You will
make the kids so happy,”
Fraley said.
There are still some toys
left in every age group.
Families who could not attend
the giveaway on Saturday are
invited to call Fraley at 541-
997-3434 or another
Soroptimist member to pick
up toys while supplies last.
__________
Follow Chantelle on Twitter
@SNews_Chantelle. Email her at
cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com.
near Mercer Lake Road. The
guide is sponsored by the
Federal
Emergency
Management Area.
“Your neighborhood may be
susceptible to more landslide
activity at some point in the
near or distant future,” said a
letter from SVFR. “We strong-
ly encourage you to read the
guide carefully and thoroughly
and pay close attention to the
suggestions for monitoring
your house and surrounding
property.”
Slides often occur in areas
with heavy rainfall and slopes
steeper than 10 to 15 degrees.
The guide listed some land-
slide warning signs, such as
unusual creaking or cracks in
buildings, rumbling, cracks
forming in landscape and trees
tilting. Leaking plumbing or
gas lines could also be an indi-
cator.
“We’re getting reports that
more slides are likely in the
same area,” Langborg said.
Two geologists are actively
reviewing the situation.
“If at any time you feel con-
cerned or unsafe in your home,
you should immediately evac-
uate yourself, family and pets
and seek shelter with family or
friends or in a hotel,”
Langborg said.
Lane County advised the
public to not attempt to travel
through or move debris from a
slide, as a small slide may
become much larger with little
warning.
“Our staff is working hard
to keep up with downed trees
and landslides,” said Lane
County Road Maintenance
Division
Manager
Orin
Schumacher. “We have more
than 1,400 miles of roads to
maintain and we depend on
our residents to report issues
they encounter, including
blocked or partially blocked
roads.”
The Road Maintenance
Division worked to clear two
slides on Big Creek Road,
north of Florence, on Monday.
Landslides at mileposts 2 and
9 closed the road from mile-
posts 2 to 10.5. By the end of
Monday, the road remained
blocked from milepost 9 to
10.5, though one slide had
been cleared.
Travelers were able to use
Highway 101 or Upper North
Fork Road as alternate routes.
Schumacher said, “We want
people to be more aware of
their surroundings, especially
if they’re traveling on rural
roads. Drive a little slower and
remember that you never
know what’s around the next
bend in the road.”
The National Weather
Service in Portland issued a
coastal flood watch through 4
p.m. today.
To
receive
the
“Homeowner’s Guide to
Landslides,”
go
to
www.svfr.org or SVFR Station
No. 1 at 2625 Highway 101 in
Florence.
To report a landslide on
county roads, call 541-682-
6900 during business hours.
To report a landslide after
hours, call 911. If there is an
emergency, call 911.
