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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2020)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, May 27, 2020 A5 Pilot Rock flood waters recede slowly By Kathy Aney and Alex Castle EO Media Group Ray Arriola stood in the muddy middle of Main Street and watched water sluicing over a parking lot that sits between rushing East Birch Creek and a secondhand store called “Jer and Ter’s.” He gestured toward a twisted length of metal safety fence at creekside that rushing water had flung aside during Wednesday’s flooding of downtown Pilot Rock. “The power of water is amazing,” he said shaking his head, “but I think we’re over the hump now.” Arriola lives on the other side of the creek. A row of sandbags did its job, keeping water out of his home. Residents are still a bit shellshocked at how quickly the creek overflowed its banks and flooded Highway 395 where the road curls through the downtown core. Water had receded somewhat by Thursday morning, but the Pilot Rock Market parking lot was still a lake. The highway remained closed to through traffic. On the west side of 395, sandbags were stacked high around J&D’s Food Mart, making an effective barrier that kept the store and the gas pump island relatively dry. The card slot of the store’s out- door ATM machine blinked invitingly. Someone with- drawing money would have had a nice view of the high- way and water rooster-tailing from the tires of passing emer- gency vehicles. At nearby Coffee Station EO Media Group/Kathy Aney An emergency vehicle sends up spray as it travels along Highway 395 through Pilot Rock on Thursday. EO Media Group/Kathy Aney The Pilot Rock Market remained closed on Thursday after being flooded the day before. No. 1, patrons sipped the local brew and exchanged informa- tion about where the creek is jammed up and whose base- ments are flooded. At City Hall, Pilot Rock Police Chief Bill Caldera had been up almost 30 hours straight. He and his officers had knocked on doors to warn homeown- ers of rising water and helped wherever they were needed. He marveled at the esprit de corp of the city’s residents who flocked to two sandbag- ging stations at opposite ends of town. Caldera said the Red Cross took three evacuated families and put them up at Pendleton hotels. Clint Young talked on his cell outside Jer and Ter’s, which belongs to his grand- mother, Terry Arbogast. When he hung up, he said water had flooded the basement of the place, which is also Arbo- gast’s home. Family members had worked to move valued items, such as a drum set that had belonged to his grandfa- ther, to safer spots. But noth- ing could save the old Cadillac out back. Young said the vin- tage car, which he and his wife had driven away in after their wedding, was a mess. Kristen Smith sat at her desk at Eastern Oregon Waste Management, right next door to the Pilot Rock mar- ket. Somehow the business had come away compara- tively unscathed with only a little water damage. Smith, who is secretary at EOWM and the city clerk, joined the sandbag brigade yesterday, finally leaving at 10 p.m. Pilot Rock’s team spirit, she said, is inspiring. “It was heartbreaking, yet heartwarming with everyone working together,” she said. “It’s an amazing place.” The damage is still com- ing to light. County Commis- sioner John Shafer said county road crews were out Thursday attempting to assess and work on the most impacted areas, though Pilot Rock appeared to have suffered the worst of the floods. There’s been no con- firmed reports of bridges that have been washed out, but Shafer said the approach to one on West Birch Creek Road in Pilot Rock was impassable and some residents are cur- rently unable to reach their homes in the area. “Our road crews can’t get out there to work on it until the waters recede,” he said. Butch Wilson of Pacific Power drove through Pilot Rock on Thursday morning on the way to Pearson Creek, where reportedly a power pole had fallen into the creek. The flooding May 20-21 was the result of excessive rainfall throughout the region in recent days. The rain- fall reached record levels for the Pendleton area May 20. According to the National Weather Service in Pendleton, the area received 1.11 inches of rain, shattering the previous record for May 20 that was set in 1894 at 0.79 inches. The recent rainfall led to rising levels in rivers through- out the region and surrounding streams, including the Uma- tilla, Walla Walla, John Day, Grande Ronde and Imnaha rivers. The Bureau of Reclama- tion attempted to manage lev- els at the McKay Creek Res- ervoir by increasing out-take levels to 1,400 cubic feet per second. Shafer said the reser- voir reportedly peaked at an in-take level of about 5,000 cfs May 20, but those levels had dropped rapidly to 2,200 cfs by Thursday morning. “The plan is to maintain the 1,400 cfs to allow for enough space in the reservoir to be established to protect against future rain events as well as the impact on residents along McKay creek,” a release from the city of Pendleton stated Thursday. According to the North- west River Forecast Center, the Umatilla River near Pend- leton was at 12.26 feet as of 11 a.m. Thursday, which is less than half an inch below its flood stage of 12.3 feet. Road crews also responded to Nolin Grade Road near Echo on Thursday morn- ing, Shafer said, and will be inspecting the Coombs Can- yon area along the Umatilla River near Rieth. Though it feels a bit like “Groundhog Day” after his- toric flooding ravaged the county in February, Sha- fer said initial reports indi- cate that county infrastructure damages won’t come close to the $25 million dealt by flood- waters months ago. “The peak is over, and we’re starting to see the end of it,” he said. “I think we’ll be all right as long as it stops raining.” Head of Grant County Economic Development office steps down By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Allison Field announced her resignation as director of Grant County Economic Develop- ment after about a year on the job at a county court meeting May 19. Field submitted her resigna- tion May 12, and her last day was May 25, Human Resources Manager Laurie Wright said. The position is currently being advertised internally to county employees, and the county court has not yet appointed an interim director, she said. Since early April, Field has been working within the COVID-19 Emergency Oper- ations Center as part of the finance group, which includes Oregon RAIN, the Economic Development office and the EOC. The group collaborated on writing the county’s reopen- ing application and on helping businesses with loans and grant programs to soften the eco- nomic blow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Field updated the court on the Economic Development office’s latest efforts. She said the office sent out press releases through both the Blue Mountain Eagle and the radio to let businesses in the county know her office has attempted to contact them amid the crisis to let them know the office is available to them. “We realize that it’s a big task to reach out to individ- ual businesses, and know that, if they haven’t been contacted, it could be for several reasons, out-of-date contact information or closures,” Field said. On May 15 the office posted on its Facebook page: “Please know that businesses have not been intentionally left out. We care about all businesses as they are crucial to Grant County.” The Eagle/Steven Mitchell Allison Field, Grant County Economic Development director, ad- dresses Grant County Court May 19. Field stepped down as head of the department after more than a year in the position. The post encouraged busi- nesses in need of assistance to call Economic Develop- ment at 541-575-1555 or email info@grantcountyoregon.net or Stephanie LeQuieu with Ore- gon RAIN at 541-965-1598 or stephanie@oregonnrain.org. Field said the Economic Development office, through GREAT, the local economic development nonprofit, applied for a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation for an emergency grant fund for small businesses. GREAT applied for $75,000, and the county put in a $25,000 match for a total of $100,000, she said. Field also asked the court to allocate $10,000 toward the project development portion of next year’s budget to continue Oregon RAIN. She said the county has a two-year contract with the non- profit, and she wanted to put the money toward RAIN while still the director. County Com- missioner Jim Hamsher praised LeQuieu, Grant County’s rural catalyst with Oregon RAIN, for the work she has been doing in the community. Field said LeQuieu has been holding workshops online, hosting virtual meetups and helping businesses. “She has been instrumen- tal to our business community,” Field said. Hamsher said LeQuieu should give the court a presen- tation of the work she has been doing in the community. Grant County Judge Scott Myers suggested the court wait on obligating the money. “I am just curious as to whether or not someone that might follow you in that posi- tion may or may not feel that is the best use of Economic Devel- opment money within that bud- get,” Myers said. The court voted to wait on approving the funding. The court thanked Field for her service to the county and wished her the best of luck in her endeavors. In other Grant County Court news: • The court decided to revisit reopening county offices until next week’s regular session. • The court approved title III administrator Beth Simonson’s request to obligate 2019 funds and initiate 2020 funds. Myers said $75,000 is obligated for 2019 and $75,000 is initiated for the 2020 funds. had difficulty standing on West Bench Road. May 20: Responded for an 85-year-old man on Highway 26 near milepost 140. May 20: Along with Ore- gon State Police and Seneca ambulance, dispatched for a single-vehicle rollover crash with injuries on Highway 395 near milepost 24. May 22: Dispatched for a woman with a possible dia- betic issue on West Main Street. • John Day fire May 20: Dispatched for a report of propane fumes on Southwest Brent Drive. • Long Creek ambulance May 19: Paged for a patient transport on East Main Street for an 81-year-old man with swelling/fluid retention. • Canyon City Fire May 22: Responded to a report of black smoke on Adam Drive. • Grant County Road Department May 20: Advised of flood- ing on County Road 20. COPS AND COURTS 0 Grant County Sheriff The Grant County Sheriff’s Office reported the following for the week of May 20: Concealed handgun licenses: 11 Average inmates: 6 Bookings: 6 Search and Rescue: 0 Dispatch John Day dispatch worked 86 calls during the week of May 18-22, including: • John Day Police Department One solution for oxygen at home, away, and for travel Introducing the INOGEN ONE – It’s oxygen therapy on your terms No more tanks to refi ll. No more deliveries. No more hassles with travel. 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