Flood Advisory/Watch
The Central Oregon Coast is under a flood Advisory for the next several days. Rain, high waters and king tides contributed to flooding on Highway 126 near Cushman over the weekend and the National Weather Service is expecting more through Wednesday afternoon. Beginning this evening the advisory becomes a watch as heavy rain is expected to continue through the night. If you are planning travel along the coast watch for potential road hazards as heavy rains bring a potential hazard for slides. There have already been reports of minor erosion along highway 101 near the Lincoln Beach/Depoe Bay area. Tides are expected to be high for the next several days reaching 1.5 feet about ground level. Homes along the coastal area and along the Siuslaw River should be on alert and take proper precautions should flooding occur.
Three More Coronavirus Cases for Florence
Three more cases of the coronavirus have been added to the Florence list bringing the total to 119. Over the past week there have been several transports of patients with COVID-19 from Peace Harbor Hospital to Riverbend in Eugene. the steady rise according to health officials comes from small gatherings and is spreading into the community. There has only been one official outbreak noted by Lane County Public Health, that of a recent Bible Study, but admittedly, Jason Davis with LCPH has said the manpower just isn’t there to quickly locate every pocket of cases that arise. He says Florence can expect more cases to show up in the coming weeks.
Vaccination News
The state is nearing the 100,000 mark for vaccinations as the rate of infection continues to climb. More than 96,000 doses has been administered. On Saturday the Oregon Health Authority added 13,448 vaccinations but that was a cumulative total over two days. They are getting closer to their 12,000 per day goal with 8,768 doses administered on Friday.
New Cases
Over the weekend there were 4,623 new coronavirus cases reported for the state along with 37 new deaths. For the same period Lane County reported 290 new cases. State totals are at 125,701 as of Sunday.
Lane County Government Phone Lines Severed
If you have any need to contact Lane County Government today, you may have a difficult time getting through. On Sunday a contractor engaged in excavation in Downtown Eugene severed communication lines according to the Lane County Sheriff’s office. This does not affect rural 911 service, in addition Florence’s 9-1-1 service is routed locally. Offices affected include the Lane County Sheriff’s office, the District Attorney’s office and Lane County Health and Human Services.