Power Back on By Late Afternoon
Yesterday’s accident on Highway 101 near Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue left more than 750 businesses and residences in the area without power for part of the day. A power pole was severed causing extensive damage to the lines. Chris Chandler with Central Lincoln PUD said within about an hour and a half they had cut the number of outages down to about 483 but it took until after 4 pm to get all but two customers restored. Chandler says the final 2 were back on at 5:15 pm. The accident also took out a fire hydrant causing some to be without water. The City of Florence could not immediately fix the problem due to electric utility crews working in the area, but a public works crew was able to get water restored by noon.
Fees to Go Up for Out-of-Staters
Travelers from out of state that use Oregon State Parks will soon be paying about 25% more for overnight visits to the parks. Beginning January first RV sites will be charged between $30 and $50 dollars per night. This applies to sites that have hookups for water, sewer and electrical. OPRD says the increase will not effect existing reservations. Oregon residents typically pay $24 to $40 for the same amenities. Revenues generated by the increase will go to day to day operations and upkeep for the parks. There will not be an increase to other types of campgrounds such as tent, cabin and yurts.
COVID-19 Surging
Lane County added 135 new and presumptive cases of COVID-19 yesterday. That includes 5 more for the Florence area bringing the total to 887 all time. The Oregon Health authority is reporting that the number of cases are up from the previous week resulting in a 25% increase a total of 6,987 cases. With the rise there was a decrease in hospitalizations and deaths according to their weekly report. Yesterday OHA reported 2,331 new cases. They are still vaccinating at a fairly steady rate although down from last week’s totals. The average running total is 13,786 doses per day including new, pediatric and booster doses.
