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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 2020)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | APRIL 2, 2020 | 3A White House approves Oregon emergency declaration By Mark Brennan for The Sentinel President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the State of Oregon ear- ly Sunday in response to calls from Governor Kate Brown and a unified Or- egon Congressional dele- gation to do so. The Federal Emergen- cy Management Agency (FEMA) released a state- ment Sunday announc- ing the President’s deci- sion and the availability of federal emergency aid to support recovery ef- forts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Dis- ease 2019 pandemic. The President’s order, retroactive to Jan. 20, al- lows for the activation of FEMA’S Public Assis- tance program for reim- bursements of emergen- cy actions taken by state, territorial, tribal and local government entities, as well as certain nonprofits. Governor Brown re- sponded to the declara- tion positively but point- ed to specific instances where additional aid has been requested from the federal government and to this point in time has not been forthcoming. “This declaration is an important first step towards unlocking all available federal resourc- es for Oregon’s state, trib- al and local response to the COVID-19 pandem- ic, and I appreciate the responsiveness of Vice President Pence and the federal administration officials to our requests for aid,” Brown said. “However, this is far from everything Oregon needs from the federal gov- ernment to actively and effectively combat this crisis. We have a number of significant requests pending with the federal government — first and foremost, Oregon’s re- quest for more personal protective equipment (PPE) from the nation’s stockpile.” A general lack of PPE has been an issue faced by medical first respond- ers across the state and the nation. There are millions of PPE’s on order but the availability of the most basic of the protections — masks and gowns — are still difficult to pur- chase given the world- wide need. Brown also wanted to highlight issues that are not covered by the decla- ration. “In addition, a signifi- cant part of our disaster declaration request was for individual assistance for all Oregon counties and tribes, including childcare assistance, cri- sis counseling, disaster case management, di- saster legal services and disaster unemployment assistance for Orego- nians. That request is still also pending and would provide significant relief COURTESY PHOTO Oregon Governor Kate Brown speaks at a press conference following the announcement of the White House approving Oregon’s declaration of a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus last week. The approval allows additional federal resources and economic support. to Oregon families if ap- proved.” Senator Ron Wyden was a signatory to a letter sent to President Trump last week by the Oregon Congressional delegation and reiterated his belief in an email to The Sen- tinel that the declaration was an important step in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, but much more remains to be done. “The COVID-19 pub- lic health crisis has hit Oregon hard, and I am gratified the delegation’s bipartisan support of Gov. Kate Brown’s state- wide disaster declaration was successful,” Wyden said. “While I am glad this news means FE- MA-related disaster relief is on the way to our state, I am determined to keep pulling out all the stops to access all suitable equip- ment from all sources to make sure working Ore- gonians, small business- es, health care providers, first responders and so many others get what they need in response to this global pandemic.” While party rancor continues on some level in state politics, as evi- denced by last month’s legislative debacle at the state house, there is a shared sense of purpose at the federal level ac- cording to Brown. “This is an unprec- edented public health crisis that demands a coordinated national re- sponse, backed by the full resources of the federal government. I will con- tinue to work with the White House and Ore- gon’s congressional dele- gation to fight for access to every tool available to keep Oregonians safe from COVID-19,” said Brown. Michael F. O’Hare has been named as the Fed- eral Coordinating Offi- cer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. The full text of Gov- ernor Brown’s statement can be read at Oregon. gov as can her request to the administration for the declaration of emer- gency. Meet ALEC MAY Alec has worked for Brad’s since 2012 as the Lube Tech. Alec is a graduate of Cottage Grove High School and enjoys riding dirt bikes and spending time with his family during his off time. CLIP & SAVE • CLIP & SAVE • CLIP & SAVE OIL CHANGE SPECIAL $19.95 up to 6 qts of oil Gas Engines Only. Excludes Diesel Engines,Dexos & Synthetic Oils With this coupon offer good through 4/30/20 Not Valid with any other offer. In a crisis, journalism matters more than ever. When the world careens out of control, The Cottage Grove Sentinel is a calming source of facts and information. At it’s core, the COVID-19 pandemic is a deeply personal story. We want to know that our family, friends and neighbors are safe. 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