126 Closed Again
After opening for a brief period yesterday highway 126 is closed again due to weather related issues. Last night the Lane County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to declare an emergency due to the ice storm that has blanketed most of the county. The commissioners have asked residents to please shelter in place until road conditions improve. Eugene roads are considered treacherous at this point though crews are working to improve conditions. Highway 36 remains closed for another day with damage from fallen trees and debris in the road. The emergency declaration also allows cities, such as Florence, to seek reimbursement for expenses related to the clean up and emergency response.
Power Outages
Central Lincoln PUD is not currently reporting any outages in the immediate area, however north in Lincoln County, Yachats, Waldport and particularly Newport is dealing with about 1100 outages. Storm damage is worse east of Florence. Last night’s high winds and wet conditions can still cause issues with trees and power lines and road conditions can worsen in a moments notice. Highway 38 remains open through Reedsport, but one traveler posted on social media that the conditions on Interstate 5 were very dangerous from Cottage Grove to Eugene.
Brief 911 Outage
Yesterday afternoon the City of Florence announced that the 911 system had gone off line and emergency calls had to be rerouted to the non-emergency number. The system was quickly restored and was back up around 4:30. No major incidents were reported during the outage.
Lane County Closure Notice
Lane County has provided a list of closures and changes to services in the Springfield/Eugene area as well as other parts of the county. If you have appointments in Eugene, you may want to consult the site located at LaneCountyOr.gov/closures. County officials recommend trying to do business over the phone when possible.
