COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019 | 9A
Flood
from A1
last major flood in 1996. As rain-
fall tapered through Monday, the
release rate was slated to drop
to 7,500 cfs, though concerns of
snow melts had threatened to put
that number at a record-breaking
10,000 cfs.
As of press time, river levels
were expected to crest by Monday
evening and gradually drop below
flood stage over the next several
days.
While Cottage Grove experi-
enced some flooding in areas with-
in city limits, heavier inundation
occurred around the edges of the
city and outlying areas.
Riverstone Mobile Home Park, a
community of residents 55 or old-
er, received an evacuation notice
from South Lane County Fire and
Green
from A1
get an honor like this, it re-
ally means a lot to show that
we are something,” said Na-
than Anderson of AKHS.
Anderson has been an ac-
tive part of Kennedy’s Green
Team.
The Green Team, com-
prised of students that
choose to take this class as
an elective, have spear-head-
ed all things environmen-
tal across the school. A key
project has been making
sure each classroom is pro-
vided with a compost bin
and adding additional recy-
cling bins around the school.
The cafeteria at AKHS
uses reusable plates, cups
and utensils while the school
printers are all set to print
double-sided.
What is being done now
at AKHS was all recorded in
the group’s application to be
considered a green school.
This honor, which also came
with a $500 check to help the
school continue their efforts,
Rescue Sunday night as flooding a year ago.
crept through the park’s streets and
In response to the notice, Scan-
up to homes. Community manag- lon helped organize an evacuation.
ers hurried to notify residents
with the help of the fire de-
partment.
“We went door-to-door to
every home,” said manager
Lee Wege of the 125-unit park.
“We’re extremely grateful to
the fire department.”
Though most chose not to
leave, Wege said about 20 resi-
— Janice Scanlon, Shoreview Meadows
dents sought shelter in the city
Cooperative resident
or with relatives.
Shoreview Meadows Coop-
erative, a resident-run com-
munity along the Row River,
received the Level 3 evacuation no- She estimated about 65 or 70 res-
tice Sunday night.
idents were impacted or forced to
“On the spaces that are bordering evacuate their homes Sunday night,
the river, it’s lapping at their door- though they were given no instruc-
step,” said resident Janice Scanlon, tion on where to go as shelters had
who moved to Cottage Grove only not been fully established.
was at the forefront of The
Green Team’s mind this year.
“Our most exciting project
is becoming a green school
because last year we tried
and we came so close but
we didn’t make the quotes,”
said Anderson. “So, this year
being able to have the extra
couple people that we do re-
ally helped getting it started
and we actually reached our
goal.”
To be a green school,
schools have to complete a
waste audit that examines all
the garbage from the school
from one day. Schools also
fill out an application that
includes what the school is
currently doing in terms of
sustainability, future goals
and a look at the makeup of
the school. This includes an
examination of gas, water
and electrical use all the way
to what cleaning supplies the
school is currently using.
Once approved, the school
is considered a green school
for three years at a time at
which point they have to
renew their application. In
2009, when the school was
“If I’m going to live by
a river, I need to be
better prepared.”
By 10 p.m. Sunday night, Amer-
ican Red Cross received notice and
began setting up a shelter at the
Cottage Grove Community
Center, housing about 40 peo-
ple through the night.
The shelter is slated to stay
open as long as the need per-
sists in the community.
“We’re open 24/7, so people
just need to come in and reg-
ister with us,” said Red Cross
Shelter Supervisor Donda
King. “When we open a shelter
or an information center, we
make sure people have a warm
place to stay, a bed to lay on,
food in their stomach, they’re
warm and dry, and we provide as
much information as we can get
our hands on.”
Red Cross services include sup-
port staff for those requiring med-
ical and mental health treatment.
The flooding makes for the sec-
ond natural disaster to shake the
Cottage Grove area in five weeks,
prompting some renewed talk of
emergency preparedness.
“After the snowstorm, we started
talking about making a list of those
who are medically vulnerable,” said
Joi Adair, another resident of Shor-
eview Meadows Cooperative. “And
so kind of putting together a list of
who can help and who needs help.”
The cooperative had hoped to
have evacuation routes and desti-
nations plotted for the next disas-
ter.
“But we didn’t get it done before
this one,” Scanlon said.
For her part, Scanlon has found
the past month eye-opening.
“Personally, I need a better go-
kit,” Scanlon said. “If I’m going to
live by a river, I need to be better
prepared.”
ZACH SILVA/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Waste Reduction Specialist Sarah Grimm (left) presents the AKHS Green Team with
a certificate and $500 to continue their work with sustainability.
located at what is current-day
Harrison Elementary, AKHS
was a green school. Since the
school was moved to Delight
Valley it has been a goal to
get that honor back but has
been difficult as the school
tried to get used to their new
spot and sharing a space
with Head Start.
“Sharing the building with
Head Start ... it was really
difficult to get a good judge
of how much waste do we
produce. And we can’t really
affect that much change on
Head Start because they are
a separate thing,” said AKHS
teacher Jessica Martinez who
leads the Green Team.
But now after three years
at the school’s new home,
they are settled in and back
to being a green school.
“I’m really proud of the
kids because it’s neat and
they work really hard. And
getting acknowledged for
their hard work on this lev-
el,” said Martinez. “It’s great
that we’re a green school but
what’s really great is having
that be part of our commu-
nity then when kids leave
here then we created these
green healthy habits that
then they carry on and they
spread out there.”
Now at AKHS, they are
looking towards the future
that will include bees (the
bees that were previously on
the property were wiped out
in the recent snow storm), a
greenhouse that is set to be
on the property this May and
a full chicken coop.
“One of the kids said, ‘We
should just make it a farm,’”
Martinez said with a laugh.
“I said, ‘Well, I don’t know
about that.’”
Are you ready?
D ISASTER P REPAREDNESS
Flooding fast facts
Floods can be highly destructive natural disasters. Th e U.S. Geological
Survey’s Water Science School says that around 71 percent of the Earth’s
surface is covered by water. While oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all
the planet’s water, rivers, lakes, ice caps, and glaciers also are large water
sources.
National Geographic points out that fl ooding has caused more death and
destruction than any other kind of natural disaster in the United States.
Flooding may result from overfl owing streams or rivers; when coastal
storms cause the sea to surge inland; if a dam or levee has ruptured; if ice
melts rapidly in the mountains; or if excessive rain cannot be absorbed by
the ground fast enough. Flooding can even occur without warning, and
such instances are referred to as “fl ash fl ooding.”
Staying safe during fl oods involves understanding fl oods. Th e following
information, courtesy of the Emergency Management Institute, FEMA,
Ready.gov, and National Geographic, can help men and women better
understand fl oods and how to stay safe in fl ooding situations.
• No region is safe from fl ooding. Floods can occur anywhere, but are rare
in areas where water is scarce.
• Floods may develop very slowly or in just a matter of seconds aft er an
extensive rainfall.
• Areal fl oods can occur where saturated grounds are present.
• Although the term “hundred-year fl ood” describes an extremely large and
very rare event, these types of fl oods have recently been occurring world-
wide with increased regularity.
• In the United States, fl oods cause about $6 billion worth of damage and
kill, on average, 140 people every year.
• Coastal fl ooding alone attributes to $3 trillion in damage worldwide.
• China’s Yellow River valley has been home to some of the worst fl oods in
history.
• Flood waters can quickly knock people off their feet and carry them away.
• It’s important to sanitize oneself aft er coming in contact with fl ood water,
which could be contaminated with various natural and manmade sub-
stances.
• It may be necessary to move to higher ground when fl ooding situations
occur. It’s important to heed safety precautions and evacuation messages.
• Rapidly moving water has the potential to carry a house, car, trees, or
other structures away.
• Drivers should not try to navigate through fl ood waters. Many deaths
that occur during fl oods happen when drivers try to move through fl ood
waters.
• It’s imperative to keep an emergency kit, nonperishable food, fl ashlights,
and batteries on hand to combat potential disasters like fl oods.
• Flood damage is not necessarily covered by homeowners insurance. Th ose
who live in high-risk fl ood zones would be wise to purchase fl ood insur-
ance to protect themselves.
Floods can be formidable foes. Armed with information, people can be
safer when the waters rise.
Make sure all the pieces are in place to render you and your family prepared in the event of a natural disaster.
• Listen to radio or television newscasts for the latest weather information, and follow all evacuation directions and suggestions.
• Keep a stock of non-perishable food items as well as bottled water on hand inside your home.
• Keep a 72 Hour Kit on hand inside your home that is easy to get to in the event of a disaster.
For more information and tips on disaster response and preparedness, contact your local emergency services center.
South Lane Fire & Rescue • 233 Harrison Ave, Cottage Grove 541-942-4493 • 55 South 1st Street, Creswell 541-895-2506
Twitter: @southlanefi re
Facebook: southlanecountyfi reandrescue