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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Over the past two days, I have toured the district and met with city officials and first responders to assess the wildfire situation in our communities. The multiple fires are serious threats. Fire officials and first responders are working around the clock to protect lives and property.
My heart is heavy and my thoughts and prayers are with those who have suffered such devastating loss. I am grateful to our local firefighters and law enforcement personnel who have walked door-to-door to alert residents in the evacuation zones to leave their homes.
The fire situation in Marion and Clackamas Counties remains a dynamic and rapidly evolving situation. The landscape includes a challenging and diverse terrain of rural cities, fields, and forest lands. The following resources are provided to help you during this critical time.
These next few days are critical. Please be prepared and respond to evacuation orders issued for your area. Your choices and your actions can save lives. Check in with your friends, family, and neighbors and familiarize yourself with the "Ready, Set, Go" safety directives in the illustration below.
The Oregon Wildfire Resource page serves as a resource hub within Oregon state government. This information tool is updated as more resources become available.
Updates on active Oregon fires can be found on OEM's Fires and Hotspots Dashboard or by clicking on the map below.
Clackamas County Alerts, Emergency Resources and Evacuation Zones can be found here.
Marion County Alerts, Emergency Resources and Evacuation Zones can be found here.
A message from Oregon Emergency Management about donations and assistance: "The best way to support the communities is to provide financial donations to relief organizations actively responding and that will be responding to these disasters. For verified disaster relief organizations, please refer to Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (ORVOAD), www.orvoad.org. These organizations include the American Red Cross, Team Rubicon, Salvation Army, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, and other relief organizations. Also consider donating to groups like Wildland Firefighters Fund. As needs for donations and volunteers are identified, they will be messaged out through official communication sources."
The Oregon Health Authority published the following information in their newsletter yesterday. You can subscribe to OHA updates here.
Protecting yourself from COVID-19 during wildfires
We know that facing this fire risk during an ongoing pandemic can feel overwhelming. The Centers for Disease Control provided this information about COVID-19 safety and evacuations, as well as reducing smoke exposure.
Know the difference between symptoms from smoke exposure and COVID-19:
- Some symptoms, like dry cough, sore throat and difficulty breathing can be caused by both wildfire smoke exposure and COVID-19.
- Learn about symptoms of COVID-19. Symptoms like fever or chills, muscle or body aches and diarrhea are not related to smoke exposure. If you have any of these symptoms, the CDC COVID-19 Self-Checker can help you determine whether you need further assessment or testing for COVID-19. If you have questions after using the CDC COVID-19 Self-Checker, contact a healthcare provider.
- If you have severe symptoms, like difficulty breathing or chest pain, immediately call 911 or the nearest emergency facility.
If you will be staying with friends or family outside your household to evacuate:
- Talk to the people you plan to stay with about how you can all best protect yourselves from COVID-19.
- Consider if either of your households has someone who is at higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, including older adults or people of any age who have underlying medical conditions. Make sure everyone knows what they can do to keep them safe from COVID-19.
- Follow everyday preventive actions, including covering coughs and sneezes, washing your hands often, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Consider taking extra precautions for people living in close quarters.
- Know what to do if someone in your family or in the household you are staying with becomes sick with COVID-19. Take steps to keep your pets safe.
Protect yourself and others while in a public shelter:
- Practice physical distancing. Stay at least six feet from other people outside of your household.
- Follow CDC COVID-19 preventive actions: Wash your hands often, cover coughs and sneezes and follow shelter policies for wearing masks. Avoid sharing food and drink with anyone if possible.
- Follow disaster shelter policies and procedures designed to protect everyone in the shelter, especially those who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, including older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions.
- Avoid touching high-touch surfaces, such as handrails, as much as possible. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol immediately after you touch these surfaces.
- Keep your living area in the shelter clean and disinfect frequently touched items.
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If you feel sick when you arrive at the shelter or start to feel sick while sheltering, tell shelter staff immediately.
Thank you for reading this important information and for sharing it with your family and friends. Please take care of yourselves and others.
Sincerely,
 Rick Lewis
State Representative
House District 18
Oregon's Christmas Tree District
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1418
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-484, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.RickLewis@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lewis
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