Coronavirus and Wildfire Update: Thank You to First Responders

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

With everything going on across Oregon today, it seems appropriate that today is September 11 – a day we commemorate tragic loss, remember the things that keep us together, and give thanks for the brave first responders who keep us safe when things are hardest.

I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all the first responders across the state who are focused on saving lives in very serious situations because of the rampaging wildfires. It’s critical to help these responders by evacuating quickly if and when the time comes to do so.

This has been a horrific week for our state. More than 10% of the state’s population is under some form of evacuation warning. More than one million acres have burned across the state this week alone. For perspective, the annual average for acres burned over the last 10 years is just over 500,000 acres. Towns have been destroyed and lives have been lost. The air quality in Portland is currently the worst of any major city in the world.

Weather forecasts indicate that we may soon have a break in the weather patterns that have created these intense fires. This means, hopefully, cooler air and moisture over the next few days to help stem the growth of the multiple fires and give responders a chance to be in a more proactive firefighting mode after days focused on saving lives. Oregon Public Broadcasting has more details here on Governor Brown’s latest updates from her press conference today.

Let’s all remain vigilant and listen to guidance from state and local authorities. This means knowing where you need to go and what you need to bring before an evacuation order. And please, stay away from disaster zones. It’s essential to keep those roads and areas clear for first responders and to keep people out of danger.

Frustratingly, there have been false rumors spreading online about the causes of these fires. The Oregonian detailed some of the misinformation here. There is no evidence that these fires were part of a criminal conspiracy. Very dry conditions and historically-strong winds created this disaster. First responders do not have time to track down unsubstantiated rumors from the Internet.

During this fast-developing situation, it’s essential that we get our information from trusted sources: county emergency management officials, the Red Cross, and state agencies such as the State Fire Marshal, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and credible news outlets.

For wildfire updates:

• The Oregonian here
• Oregon Public Broadcasting here.

The Red Cross is providing support and assistance at the following locations (you can find updates on the organization’s regional Twitter account here):

• Oregon State Fairgrounds: 2330 17th St. NE, Salem
• Springfield High School/Silky Field: 875 7th St., Springfield
• Deschutes County Fairgrounds: 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond
• Douglas County Fairgrounds: 2110 Frear St., Roseburg
• Kla-Mo-Ya Casino: 34333 Us-97, Chiloquin
• Josephine County Fairgrounds: 1451 Fairgrounds Rd., Grants Pass
• Jackson County Expo: 1 Peninger Rd., Central Point
• Portland Convention Center: 1000 NE Multnomah St., Portland
• Newport Recreation Center: 225 SE Avery St., Newport
• Parkway Christian Center: 229 NE Beacon Dr., Grants Pass
• Newberg High School: 2400 Douglas Ave., Newberg
• Yamhill Church, Newberg
• Linn County Expo Center: 3700 Knox Butte Rd. E, Albany

Want to help? The best way to help from afar is to provide financial donations to relief organizations responding to the fires. Or you can volunteer to help evacuees. Multnomah County has some information here.

This is your best one-stop location for all kinds of state agency information: https://wildfire.oregon.gov/

You can also track the latest details on fires across the state by clicking the image of the dashboard below:

Wildfire Evacuation Protocol for Pandemic Quarantine

Piling a wildfire evacuation on top of pandemic precautions makes for additional stress. If you or a household member are quarantining or isolating to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please take the following precautions:

• If ordered to evacuate, do so immediately. Follow all instructions from fire officials.
• If you have time, reach out to your local public health authority, who might have already been in contact with you about your isolation/quarantine. They may have solutions to help you continue to isolate/quarantine if you are evacuated.
• Should you be directed to a shelter or other evacuation space, please let officials know you are in isolation/quarantine so that they can take steps to keep you distanced from other evacuees.
• Wear a mask at all times when outside your home, or when you come into contact with people who do not live with you.
• If you are an older adult or a person with disabilities, reach out to the Aging and Disabilities Resource Connection for information about resources 1-855- ORE-ADRC (1-855-673-2372).
• Practice physical distancing to the greatest extent possible if you must travel outside your home for any reason, including evacuation.
• More information about wildfire safety and your health is available on healthoregon.org/wildfires. Additional resources can also be found by calling 2-1-1.

Wildfire Impact on Unemployment Benefits

Here is the latest information from the Oregon Employment Department about how the wildfires across the state have impacted their operations.

The department has temporarily closed its Wilsonville Contact Center and the Lincoln City and Newport WorkSource offices. Many employees are evacuating their homes or preparing to evacuate themselves or family members. This will cause service delays. If you need to reach the department, please use their online Contact Us Form, found here.

Here are some additional tips:

ELECTRONIC PAYMENT: If you have evacuated or think you may need to, let the department know as soon as you can so they can issue you a new ReliaCard or set up direct deposit. Use the Contact Us Form, and under “How Can We Help?” select “I have evacuated due to the fires and I need a new ReliaCard or to set up Direct Deposit.” Make sure to let us know where we should send the new card and how we can reach you.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you’ve been impacted by the fires, log in to the Online Claims System to change your address. Since they sometimes send important notices by mail, they recommend changing your address even if you already use direct deposit or a ReliaCard.

FILING CLAIMS: File your weekly claims using the Online Claims System as soon as you can. If you can’t file your weekly claim within a week (by Saturday), you will be able to backdate your claim. However, please be aware that this will likely cause a delay in processing and payment.

Latest COVID-19 Weekly Report

Yesterday, the Oregon Health Authority released its COVID-19 Weekly Report, which can be read in full here. Below are some of the highlights from the report, which primarily outlines positive developments in our efforts to control the spread of the virus:

• During Monday, August 31, through Sunday, September 6, OHA recorded 1,477 new cases of COVID-19 infection – down another 5% from last week’s tally of 1,558. This marks the 5th consecutive week of declining weekly case counts.
• The percentage of tests that were positive fell from 4.4% to 4.3%.
• There were 23 Oregonians who were reported to have died during that week, down from 39 the previous week.
• The age group with the highest incidence of reported infection continues to be 20–29-year-olds. Persons under 30 years of age have accounted for 37% of reported cases but only 0.7% of hospitalizations and 0.01% of deaths.
• While COVID-19 case rates decrease in older age groups, hospitalization and death rates increase with age: 228 (47%) of the 482 deaths have been among persons at least 80 years of age, and 354 (73%) in persons 70 and older.

Below is the latest available data on reported signs and symptoms of the virus. As you’ll note, cough, headache, muscle aches, loss of smell, and chills are the five most commonly reported symptoms. You’ll also note in the second graphic below that we continue to see more than 10% of diagnosed cases each week involve asymptomatic people.

The Latest News

• There are no current fire evacuation orders in Multnomah County. The county details why this is here, as well as more information on what to prepare in case of an evacuation order here.
• The Oregon Convention Center in Portland is open for fire evacuees, people experiencing homelessness, and anyone seeking refuge from bad air quality, as The Oregonian reports here.
• As Oregon Public Broadcasting noted in this story, wildfire smoke can put people with COVID-19 at even greater risk. You can track the progression of smoke across the state at http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. You can also download the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s air quality app (search for OregonAir in your app store).
• To reduce fire risk, the City of Portland and other government entities have closed public parks, as The Oregonian reports here.
• The Oregon Department of Transportation has announced that the previously scheduled nine-day closure of the northbound lanes of the I-5 Interstate Bridge has been postponed to keep the highway as clear as possible for evacuees. The agency has more details here.
• If you are taking TriMet in the Portland Metro area, some service may be delayed and buses may be detoured if an area becomes unsafe. Please check TransitTracker and trimet.org/alerts before taking public transit right now.
• Portland Public Schools will offer child care for up to 270 children starting in late September, as The Oregonian details here.
• The Oregon Health Authority reported 215 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total of new and presumptive cases to 28,865. Sadly, two more people have died, meaning 499 Oregonians have died from coronavirus. On Thursday, the OHA recorded 187 new cases and three deaths. You can click the images below for links to interactive data tables about coronavirus in Oregon.

To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx

Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.

Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.

Best,

Tina Kotek

State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House

email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek