Weather Continues to Be an Issue
Weather conditions continue to be an issue for the central Oregon Coast. Heavy rains have already saturated the area and are expected to continue through the rest of the week and into the weekend. Thunderstorms are also a possibility into this evening and overnight. High waters in low lying areas are possible with a flood watch through 6 pm this evening and a flood advisory lasting until 1 am. Local beaches are also a concern with the potential of sneaker waves and debris. Yesterday the Siuslaw River saw large pieces of floating debris from the mouth of the river inward. The National Weather Service is predicting somewhere between a half inch and an inch and ¾ for today into this evening. For the time being the roads are passable and there are no slides although the danger exists. For local and regional road information you can access tripcheck.com
Soroptimist Christmas Baskets
Food insecurity continues to be a problem for many families in the Florence area and another opportunity to help families during the holidays is upcoming. The Florence Soroptimists are putting together the annual Christmas food baskets for families to be distributed on December 16th. But Carol Bennett with the Soroptimists says the annual event goes past the holidays.
“We try to provide food for more than just that day because we know that those young people are gonna be home, if they’re school age kids, they’re gonna be home for a couple of weeks.”
Bennett says the entire event is funded by local donations and each year the community steps up to help provide enough money to purchase food for hundreds of families. If you would like to help support the baskets you can send a check made out to SI Florence to p.o. box 1209, Florence.
Gas Prices
Gas prices continue to decline across the state with AAA Oregon reporting another 5 cent drop from last week. Marie Dodds says drivers continue to reap the benefits as the Oregon average drops below 4 dollars a gallon. The lowest it has been since April 12th of this year. Local prices also continue to drop with the average price of a gallon of regular at $3.60. Dodds says some of the savings is attributable to increased supply and some due to lower demand for fuel. Coastal prices are lower than the Lane County average which is at $3.73 a gallon.
Commercial Crabbing to Start
Commercial crabbing in the region is expected to start on the 16th of December according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Recent testing show meat yields are up and toxins are lower. The opening affects most of the Oregon Coast except the northern section above Cape Foulweather. Depoe Bay and south to the California border will open. Initially crabbing was due to start on the 1st of December but ODFW said meat yields were too low and the toxin Demoic acid was too prevalent.
