Remnants of Storm
Siltcoos Station Road remains closed as a result of Sunday’s high winds. Downed trees and power lines have caused the closure and work crews continue to work to reopen it. Thompson Creek Road near Brickerville also remains closed. Central Lincoln PUD is reporting it still has about 850 customers in the Siuslaw region that still do not have power and some of those customers may still have a couple of days before it is turned back down. Chris Chandler with Central Lincoln PUD says they have called in help.
“We are invoking mutual aid with other utilities in the wider pacific northwest region with whom we have signed mutual aid agreements hoping we would never have invoke them, but today has been the day to do that”
Chandler says the help would be dependent upon the availability of crews that may have significant damage where they are located. In addition to power outages and vegetation damage there were also a couple of fires reported yesterday, one was a direct result of the damage. A fire on Ivy and 7th was started by a downed power line. North fork Road was also closed until about 2 pm yesterday.
High Water/Road Closure
High tides and flood waters were also an issue yesterday as rain fell throughout the day. High tide was at 12:57 yesterday and highway 126 had to be closed at Cushman and remained closed for several hours. There is still a possibility of heavy rain today with up to 2 inches projected by the national weather service. There is currently no flood watch or warning in the area. Mapleton residents saw waters back up to their homes along the Siuslaw river and they are expecting 1 to 2 inches of rain today.
Vax Clinic
The Oregon Health Authority with Lane County and the City of Florence continue their push to get individuals vaccinated. The Florence Events Center will be the site for vaccinations throughout the month of January ending January 21st. The center will be open daily with only one date this month that it will be closed: January 18th. hours are from 12-7 Monday through Saturday and 11-4 on Sunday. All doses are available including pediatric doses and boosters.
More COVID-19 Numbers
Lane County reported 696 cases of COVID-19 over the holiday weekend and two more for the Florence area. The 97439 zip code now sits at 910 all time. The Oregon health Authority reported nearly 10,000 cases over the same period with Multnomah county adding almost 2,600 cases. Flu cases are also seeing some upward movement compared to last year’s totals, but is still way below the numbers from the 2019-2020 flu season. Last week there were 16 known cases of the flu in Oregon. The state is currently at a low risk for flu compared to states like Florida, Georgia, and North Dakota that are experiencing high rates of the virus.
