Storm Issues
The Florence area came through this weekend’s first storm fairly well. Crews from the city as well as Central Lincoln PUD were on alert but there were minimal issues reported. There was a brief outage last night south of the Siuslaw River Bridge and this morning another outage was reported that affected about 900 PUD customers. That issue was resolved quickly and power was restored after about an hour and a half. The high wind warning ended at 9 am this morning, but winds are still expected to be relatively high with gusts expected of up to 55 mph through out today. The first storm of the season hit much harder to the south and the north affecting California and Washington. High surf and rain is still expected throughout the day and into tomorrow with the possibility of some flooding until 5 am tomorrow.
Veterans Parade Change
The Florence Veterans Day Parade Committee has decided for the second year in a row to host a cruise rather than a parade. Regulatory constraints were given as the reason for the change. The event will be a vehicle cruise only and will not permit floats or walk-alongs. The cruise will come through historic old town and down kingwood and will also pass several retirement communities before completing the cruise in the Grocery Outlet parking lot. The cruise will begin at one pm on November 11th. those wishing to participate can begin the staging process at Florence Christian church at 11 that day. Grand Marshals Tony Cavarno and Paul Gargis will still be honored.
COVID-19 Update
The total number of COVID-19 cases for the Florence area has grown to 696 and includes 11 new cases from the Lane County Report on Friday. Lane County also reported 120 new cases on Friday. Weekend totals are expected to be out this morning. The Oregon Health Authority has reported 1,517 cases on Friday along with 10 new deaths. The OHA is forecasting a reduction in cases through early November. With current reproductive rates of the virus they are predicting that new cases will be about half of current level from now until November 9th.
ODF Signals End of Fire Season
The Oregon Department of Forestry is reporting that as of Saturday the entire state is now past the fire season with last three districts ending their season on Friday. More than 800,000 acres burned in Oregon this year which was less than last year’s total, but still above the 10 year average. The bootleg fire accounted for approximately half of the total acres burned. While ODF has officially ended the season, there still remains the possibility of fire and individuals should check with SVFR for local conditions before engaging in outdoor burning.