Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current, February 26, 2020, Image 12

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Hermiston herald., February 26, 2020, Page 12, Image 12

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Newspaper Page TextNEWS A12 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 Gov. Brown releases funding proposal for E. Oregon ﬂ oods HERMISTON HERALD Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Photo/Greg Lehman East Umatilla Fire and Rescue crews work to extricate the driver of an overturned semitruck on Highway 11 on Sunday. Oﬃ cials said high winds caused the trailer to ﬂ ip. Southbound lanes were closed at Steen Road due to the crash. Wind tips over truck, knocks out power across the county By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER High-speed winds caused by a cold front in Eastern Oregon and Wash- ington on Sunday wreaked havoc on the Paciﬁ c North- west until early evening, but come Monday after- noon the air had stilled to some extent. “For the most part, we’re under high pressure now, which calms things down a little bit and warms things up slightly,” said National Weather Service assistant forecaster Ann Adams on Monday afternoon. Downed lines in the western part of Umatilla County resulted in a loss of power for more than 800 people, who rely on Herm- iston Energy Services for electricity. By 7:30 p.m., however, power had been restored to all but 14 Herm- iston members. At 1 p.m., Umatilla Elec- tric Cooperative stated that due to down power lines and falling trees entan- gling in phone wires, 300 in the Irrigon area had lost their power. East of Herm- iston, 230 members in the Columbia and Foster dis- tricts were without power. Groups of customers in Mission, Weston Mountain and around Butter Creek awaited restoration from the cooperative. In total, 630 cooperative members lost their power. But according to the coop- erative’s online outage map, all customers could turn their lights back on by Monday afternoon. “The majority of mem- bers had their power on in the early evening, but the crews worked throughout the night to get the power back on,” said Steve Mey- ers of Umatilla Electric Cooperative. “There were multiple scattered outages.” The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reported that strong winds ﬂ ipped a Sherwin-Williams semitruck around noon on Sunday. The truck was southbound on Highway 11 south of Blue Mountain Station Road when it blew onto its side into the north- bound lane before heading Staﬀ photo by Ben Lonergan Crews work to set a new utility pole near Interstate 84 in Mission on Monday afternoon after high winds toppled the pole and damaged at least three others in the area. According to Paciﬁ c Power, the fallen poles cut power to a couple hundred customers around noon on Sunday afternoon and remained out until crews were able to reroute power through other lines around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday. into a nearby ﬁ eld, pinning the driver. East Umatilla Fire and Rescue responded to the scene, and the driver was taken by ambulance to Providence St. Mary Medical Center and was later picked up by a Sher- win-Williams manager. Wind blowing at a speed of at least 74 miles per hour marks the start of a low- level hurricane, and that wind speed was reported Sunday in the city of Helix. In Pendleton, the National Weather Service station recorded a high speed of 64 mph, and in Hermiston wind blew in the 50 mile-per-hour range. Dust kicked up by the high speeds lowered visi- bility on Highway 395 near Umatilla and the Tri-Cit- ies and across other roads in Umatilla County, and a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 82 near the Tri-Cities was the result. Highway 11 between Milton-Freewater and Pendleton, and Highway 204 between Weston and Elgin remained closed for two hours after 1:45 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, according to the Oregon Department of Transporta- tion, due to low visibility and crashes caused by the wind. And on Interstate 84 near Meacham, downed power lines shut down the interstate between Pendle- ton and La Grande for two hours after 12:45 p.m. The fallen lines also resulted in outages for many Paciﬁ c Power customers. The downed lines near Wildhorse Resort & Casino caused the largest of 24 power outages that hap- pened Sunday, according to Paciﬁ c Power spokes- man Tom Gaunt. About 400 Paciﬁ c Power custom- ers across the county lost their power for almost nine hours in total. Gaunt added that one of the power lines strung across the freeway near Meacham will need to be restored, and will result in a brief road closure at that time, although the company is not certain when that will be. Affected customers in the area are currently hooked up to different lines. “The work continues,” he said. The National Weather Service warned Monday that while the high-speed winds from last weekend’s cold front aren’t anticipated to continue into the week, another weather system moving in at the latter end of the week will bring more cool temperatures. “Not from a cold front like this weekend’s,” Adams said. “At this time, there is no mention of high winds. It remains to be seen.” Gov. Kate Brown announced a funding pro- posal of $11.65 million Fri- day to assist the Eastern Oregon communities dev- astated by ﬂ oods earlier this month. “I saw and heard on my visit last week how devas- tating this is for residents, and I am determined that it shouldn’t be catastrophic to the stability of the com- munity,” Brown said in a press release. “I am commit- ted to making sure that res- idents have what they need to stay in place, reopen their businesses, and rebuild their lives.” The funding package includes relief for busi- nesses and homeowners, along with assistance for levee repairs. According to the release, the state expects the federal government to give “signiﬁ cant funding” through its disaster relief programs and for the state’s $11.65 million to go “toward ﬁ lling the gaps of immediate needs that are ineligible for federal reimbursement.” The proposal lists $4 mil- lion for the “expedited pur- chase and installation of manufactured homes,” $1 million in “rapid rehousing funds” for immediate needs, along with $500,000 for low- or no-interest loans for damage costs not covered by ﬂ ood insurance. “In an area already in short supply of available housing, having so many homes wiped out has an enormous impact,” Brown said in the release. “Peo- ple have been getting by the best they can by staying with friends and neighbors or by driving farther away to ﬁ nd a safe, dry home — but that’s not practical in the long term.” To address long-term needs, the proposal includes $2 million in development Staﬀ photo by Ben Lonergan Gov. Kate Brown talks with Harley and Robin Hauck, managers of the Riverview Mobile Home Estates in Pendleton, on Feb 14, 2020. After speaking with the Haucks outside, Brown toured their ﬂ ood-damaged home. FUNDING JEOPARDIZED BY WALK-OUT Senate Republicans walked out on the 2020 legislative session on Monday and House Republicans joined them on Tuesday, aiming to prevent passage of House Bill 1530, known as the cap and trade bill. The bill’s goal is to reduce carbon emissions in the state, but its opponents say it will disproportionately hurt rural residents. Gov. Kate Brown told reporters Monday that the walk-out could jeopardize a variety of endeavors yet to be voted on, including proposed funding for ﬂ ood relief. The session by law must end on March 8. The legislature won’t have a quorum needed to pass bills until Republi- cans return, and as of Tuesday afternoon it was unclear when, or even if, they would return. GET A HISTORIC DEAL BEFORE IT’S HISTORY. 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Governor Brown’s gener- ous and expedient response to the needs of the North- eastern Oregon counties, especially Umatilla County and the places that were hit the hardest,” said Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove. “Not only for recognizing the critical situation that these counties are in, but for going the extra mile and gathering together emergency funds.” Rep. Greg Smith, R-Hep- pner, was also apprecia- tive of the package and the governor’s attention to smaller communities, such as Milton-Freewater. “Governor Brown exhib- ited strong leadership and compassion in her quick response to the citizens of Umatilla County,” Smith said. funds that will become available “upon ﬁ nalization of a sustainable community plan.” For businesses impacted by the ﬂ oods, the proposal lists $1.5 million for imme- diate relief in hopes of help- ing them reopen. The city of Pendleton, which has estimated costs up to $4.8 million for dam- ages sustained from the ﬂ oods, would receive $1.8 million for “crucial” repairs to its levee system. Milton-Freewater would also receive $850,000 for its own recovery efforts. According to the press release, the proposal has bipartisan support and has been lauded by local legislators. “I very much appreciate PLACE YOUR AD HERE! 2020 4X4 Excludes TRD Pro 1.9 % APR for 60 Months OR 2,000 $ Over 12,000 lbs of towing capacity Cash Back Contact Audra at 541.564.4538 Today! If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838 Financial Services All new Toyotas are covered by ToyotaCare. 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