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Monday, July 29, 2024

Klamath Basin Weather

Around the State of Oregon

Many Oregon State Parks are now CLOSED because of wildfire danger. Closings can be monitored by visiting www.stateparks.oregon.gov.

In addition, some roads and highways leading to state parks have been closed due to wildfires. Visit tripcheck.com to learn about closures and alternative routes and don’t rely on GPS units, as they may not have updated information.

For more information on wildfires in the state, visit the Oregon Department of Forestry’s website at www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/firestats.aspx.

 

More than 110 wildfires are now burning across the U.S.

Communities in the norhtwest and Canada are under siege from raging wildfires. A fast-moving blaze sparked by lightning sent people fleeing on fire-ringed roads in rural Idaho and a human-caused inferno has forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in northern California.

In eastern Oregon, a pilot was found dead in a small air tanker plane that crashed while fighting one of the many wildfires spreading across several Western states.

More than 110 active fires covering 2,800 square miles (7,250 square kilometers) are now burning across the country, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Some were caused by the weather, with climate change increasing the frequency of lightning strikes as the region endures record heat and bone-dry conditions.

Others were human-caused, like the Park Fire burning in Butte County, California, just northwest of the community of Paradise where the 2018 Camp Fire killed 85 people and incinerated thousands of homes.

Carli Parker is one of hundreds who fled their homes this week as the Park Fire pushed close. Parker decided to leave with her Forest Ranch residence with her family when the fire began burning across the street. She has previously been forced out of two homes by fire, and she said she had little hope that her residence would remain unscathed.

More than 130 structures have been destroyed by the fire, and thousands more remain threatened. The state’s largest active wildfire began Wednesday when a man pushed a burning car into a gully in Chico and then calmly blended in with others fleeing the scene, authorities said.

Ronnie Dean Stout, 42, of Chico, was arrested early Thursday and held without bail pending a Monday arraignment, officials said. There was no reply to an email to the district attorney asking whether the suspect had legal representation or someone who could comment on his behalf.

By midday Friday, the fire had burned more than 278 square miles (720 square kilometers) across the Sierra Nevada foothills above the city of 100,000. It remained completely uncontained.

Fire crews were making progress on another complex of fires burning in the Plumas National Forest near the California-Nevada line, said Forest Service spokesperson Adrienne Freeman. About 1,000 people had been displaced Thursday by the lightning-sparked Gold Complex fires, but some evacuations were lifted Friday when the 5-square-mile (12-square-kilometer) fire was about 11% contained. Fire managers pulled about 200 of the firefighters off the line at the Gold Complex so they could aid efforts on the Park Fire near Chico.

 

Wildfires Could Cause New Power Outages

As wildfires continue to burn throughout the state and extreme weather events impact communities, Oregon residents are reminded to be prepared for potential power outages.

Wildfires and extreme weather can cause power outages, and weather and other conditions in specific geographies may cause electric utilities to adjust system settings, which can result in more frequent and longer outages, or even in certain cases, implement public safety power shutoffs (PSPS). A PSPS is a safety measure designed to help protect people and communities in high fire-risk areas by proactively shutting off electricity during extreme and dangerous weather conditions that might result in wildfires. Utilities may also need to deenergize lines to protect equipment from nearby fires, or to protect personnel fighting fires.

Be prepared in advance 

• Be two weeks ready – Gather food, medical supplies, batteries, pet supplies, among other things, needed by family members during an outage or evacuation for up to two weeks. Learn more about what supplies to consider.
• For individuals with a medical condition that requires power, contact your electricity service provider in advance of an outage to register a Medical Certificate. This certification provides added benefits and helps the utility ensure they meet your needs in the event of an outage.
• Make sure your utility service provider has current contact information to receive notifications by updating your account online. If uncertain which electric utility serves your area, visit https://www.oregon.gov/energy/energy-oregon/pages/find-your-utility.aspx.
• Keep cell phones fully charged in anticipation of an outage. Consider a car-charger for cell phones and other electronic devices.
• Plan for livestock water needs in the event well pumps lose power.
• Have a plan to relocate to an alternative location for power needs, or if you can, consider a backup generator.

During a power outage

• Avoid downed power lines, including anything near downed lines, at all costs.
• Stay clear of fire personnel and utility crews working to restore service in your community.
• Use flashlights or battery-operated lanterns for emergency lighting. Do not use candles or other potential fire hazards.
• Turn off lights and unplug electric appliances except for the refrigerator and freezer to help avoid a surge to the system when service is restored. After turning off all the lights, turn one light on to know when power has been restored.
• Use generators safely – Do not run the generator inside the home or garage or anywhere near a window or vent, as these spaces can capture deadly levels of carbon monoxide. Learn more about proper use of a generator to avoid hazardous conditions.
• Check on elderly neighbors or individuals with special needs who might need additional assistance.
• Call your electricity service provider to report an outage, do not call 911.

Natural gas tips

• If required to evacuate, no need to shut off natural gas.
• If natural gas appliances do not operate properly once electricity is restored, call your natural gas service provider.
• If natural gas service is shut off, do not turn on yourself. Call your natural gas service provider to restore service.
• If you smell natural gas, evacuate immediately and call 911.

Stay informed

• Contact your electricity provider or log in to your account and make sure all contact information is current so you can receive alerts and messages.
• Visit Oregon Alert to find your local alert system. Provide current contact details and sign up for wildfire alerts.
• Before traveling visit Trip Check for details on road closures and conditions.
• Check air quality in Oregon.
• Visit State of Oregon Fires Dashboard.

 

A former Medford nurse facing 44 criminal counts of felony assault of hospital patients is getting a second judge removed from her case, and she is getting her first hearing moved from this Monday to September.

36-year-old Dani Schofield and her Portland lawyer Kristen Winemiller received a second Jackson County Circuit Court (Court) order this week disqualifying another judge from Schofield’s case.

They filed separate motions this week to disqualify Judge Kelly Ravassipour and Judge Laura Cromwell.  Today, Cromwell signed the court order disqualifying herself from the case, after Ravassipour signed a court order yesterday disqualifying herself from the case.

Jackson County Senior Deputy District Attorney Patrick Green filed a motion this week, too, for the Court to make Schofield’s case “a complex case,” designating a specific judge to hear it.  The Court granted his motion.

Schofield’s other motion this week asked the Court to move her first hearing in the case set for this Monday to September 9, 2024.

Schofield is fighting 44 counts of assault of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center (Asante) intensive care unit (ICU) patients.  She pleaded “not guilty” at her June arraignment in the case that accuses the former Asante registered nurse of replacing the patients’ liquid fentanyl pain medicine with hospital tap water, diverting the drug for her personal usage and causing patients’ infections.

 

Be Prepared with Fire Weather Tools

As we prepare for the peak of wildfire season in the U.S., the National Weather Service (NWS) reminds wildland fire managers that we have tools to help you monitor and fight wildfires. Whether it is a prescribed burn, ground fire or crown fire, fire managers can use this information to make decisions on how best to combat fires and keep the public safe.

Fire weather forecasters – The NWS issues Fire Weather Outlooks for the next eight days. These outlooks show areas where pre-existing fuel conditions, combined with forecast weather conditions, may result in a significant threat of wildfires.

Our Fire Weather Program supports land managers and firefighters who mitigate and respond to fires. Our weather forecasts are designed to highlight times and locations where a fire may be exceptionally hard to control. For example, we offer Red Flag Warnings, which mean warm temperatures, very low humidities and stronger winds are ongoing or expected to produce an increased risk of fire danger in 12 to 24 hours for specific locations.

Need a fire weather Spot Forecast? Land managers can request a site-specific, localized forecast for prescribed burns and wildfires to assess a potential threat. NWS recently updated this tool and will deliver additional enhancements to the application later this year. Learn more about the new Spot Forecast tool.

For federal and select state large wildfires, onsite weather forecasting support to firefighters is critical. An NWS Incident- Meteorologist (IMET) can be deployed to your incident command post. IMETs arrive on scene within 12 to 24 hours after activation and can serve up to 14 consecutive days before being relieved by another IMET. https://www.weather.gov/news/241507-fire-weather-tools

PLEASE Help Prevent Human-Caused Wildfires

• Immediately call 911 to report fires.
• Drones and other unmanned aircrafts are illegal to fly near fires.
• Fireworks, incendiary/tracer ammunition and exploding targets, are prohibited during fire season (May-October).
• Use caution when target shooting. Clear a 20-foot radius around the target by removing all vegetation and rocks.
• Ensure vehicles and trailers are properly maintained
• Make sure chains and other metal parts are not dragging.
• Keep exhaust systems clean and use spark arrestors.
• Do not park on dry grass.
• Carry extra water, shovel, and/or a fire extinguisher with you.
• Ensure your campfire is completely extinguished before leaving your campsite by making sure it is cool to the touch.
• Please don’t smoke and if you do, don’t throw out cigarette butts.
• Please be mindful and think about your actions

To ensure all Oregonians remain safe during the 2024 wildfire season, we urge everyone to stay tuned into these communications channels and follow all official safety guidelines related to air quality and recreation:

Watch Duty app: Download this app on your smartphone to understand where wildfires are in real time as well as monitor air quality and other metrics. https://app.watchduty.org

Northwest Interagency Coordination Center: During fire season, this web-based interactive map is updated daily with current fire perimeters and locations. This website acts as the wildfire resource coordination center for the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Oregon Dept of Forestry, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources and the National Park Service. https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/index.aspx

InciWeb the Incident Information System: The federal interagency all-risk incident information management system provides an interactive map with real-time location information on wildfires. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

Oregon Department of Forestry Wildfire News: The official wildfire news blog for the Oregon Department of Forestry. Look here for all wildfire news related to state forest lands. https://odffire.com/

Keep Oregon Green: A partnership comprised of statewide and interagency groups working together to promote awareness of the risk and causes of wildfires and how to be prepared in case of a wildfire emergency. https://keeporegongreen.org/

OregonLive Wildfire Map: A project managed by OregonLive that incorporates data from InciWeb, National Interagency Fire Center, Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, Oregon Office of Emergency Management, NOAA into an easy-to-use map tool. https://projects.oregonlive.com/wildfires/map

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality – Air Quality Monitoring Data: A real-time map and cell phone application you can use to track air quality, including wildfire smoke impacts, across the state. Check your app store for OregonAir. https://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/home/map

Purple Air – Air Quality Map System: Real-time air quality information using crowdsourced data and data from EPA air sensors. https://map.purpleair.com/1/mAQI/a10/p604800/cC0…

NOAA High Resolution Rapid Refresh Data Visualization: The High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency(NOAA) is an experimental data visualization tool for wildfire smoke. Be sure to turn on the “Vertically Integrated Smoke” layer to see smoke paths. https://hwp-viz.gsd.esrl.noaa.gov/smoke/index.html

 

During summer months, many families lose access to school food programs that are essential to their budget. However, some 30,000 children may be eligible for extra food assistance over the summer break, the state says.

To be eligible for “Summer EBT,” children must:

• Attend a school participating in the national school lunch or breakfast programs.
• Be in households with incomesat or below 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, which varies by family size.

Families can visit the state’s website in English and Spanish to check eligibility. The deadline to apply is Sept. 2, and benefits last 122 days from when they are received.

Eligible families receive one annual payment of $120 per child for groceries to help when school is out. Families taking part in programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or the Oregon Health Plan received the added benefit on their electronic benefit card automatically in June.

The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children, or Summer EBT, pays a one-time payment of $120 per child to help low-income families cover food costs over the three-month summer period when children are not in school and don’t have access to those free meals.

The payment adds to other assistance, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. The summer program totals about $35 million in aid a year and is funded entirely by the federal government.

A pilot run of the program in Oregon showed it reduced child hunger by one-third, said Iván Hernández, a spokesman for the Oregon Food Bank.

This spring, the Oregon Food Bank estimated that one in five children in the state face hunger, but Feeding America says it’s one in six.

In January, Oregon officials applied for the program, and this spring the Legislature agreed to the federal requirement to pay for half of the administrative costs, about $13 million over two years.

Families who are already on SNAP, the Oregon Health Plan or Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, have received automatic $120 payments earlier this month. But these other children qualify as well:

 

The Red Cross is looking for people to donate blood and platelets before the summer ends.

The Red Cross says donors are critically needed to support hospitals’ around-the-clock demand.

Type O blood donors or anyone giving platelets are especially needed to keep hospital shelves stocked through August.

Anyone who donates from August 1 through August 31 will get a $20 Amazon gift card.

Go to the Red Cross website for more details.

 

Nearly 1 in 4 Oregon workers is over 55, nearing or beyond the typical retirement age.

The share of older workers in the state’s labor force has more than doubled since 1990, according to a new report from the Oregon Employment Department. If there’s a big wave of retirements in the offing, that could limit future economic growth — especially in those industries with the highest share of older workers.

Oregon is one of the oldest states in the nation, with the median resident about 17 months older than the median American. That’s showing up in added demands on social service agencies and on the state’s health care system.

Older workers leaving the labor force could create an even tighter labor market. That might be good for employees in some ways, pushing up wages as companies compete to attract workers. And older workers’ departures would open up pathways for career advancement.

 

ODOT and the Oregon DMV says they are aware of a phishing scam in Oregon where hackers contacting our customers are claiming to be from the DMV.

Oregon DMV will never ask you for personal information, such as your driver’s license number, Social Security number, or date of birth through an unsolicited phone call, text or email.

Scammers impersonate the DMV to trick you into giving them personal information or money. If you receive an unsolicited phone call, text or email claiming to be from the DMV with an urgent matter, like your driver’s license or car registration is about to expire or you are owed money due to overpayment, ignore or delete the message or hang up. Do not click on any verification links.

If you receive a phishing call, text or email, notify the DMV Fraud Prevention Team at 503-945-8946 or send an online report.

 

BE FIRE READY

Salem, Ore – With multiple crews engaged in initial attack on new wildfire starts and all of Oregon’s available incident management teams on assignment, now is the time for Oregonians to be prepared for wildfires and help prevent future ignitions.

Oregonians are urged to actively practice wildfire prevention, prepare their home and a go-bag for evacuation and know where to sign up for alerts.

How can people help prevent wildfires?

The Oregon Department of Forestry is urging the public to actively practice wildfire prevention as the state works to control over 20 large fires. Additional human-caused fires on the landscape will draw the firefighting efforts away from the lightning-caused fires and put extra strain on ground and aviation resources, which are already spread thin. YOU can help prevent wildfires by:

• Checking and following your local fire regulations. The majority of the state is either in high or extreme fire danger right now, meaning even the smallest of sparks could start the next large wildfire.
• Remember that debris burning is prohibited statewide.
  • Return to check on your burn site if you burned earlier in the year.
• Make sure your car has been recently serviced to avoid faulty parts throwing sparks.
• Don’t drag tow chains.
• Avoid parking vehicles on tall, dry grass.
• Recreate responsibly. Where campfires are allowed, make sure your campfire is DEAD OUT before leaving it by drowning it with water, stirring it with a shovel and repeating that process until it is cold to the touch. If there is heat coming off it, there are still embers that could reignite.

How can I prepare my home to be resilient against fire?

The Oregon State Fire Marshal can help you create defensible space. Defensible space is the area around your home and property that’s maintained to prevent wildfire from spreading. Creating and maintaining defensible space is the best protection you can give your home against wildfire.

A few ideas to protect the first five feet around your home:

• Remove leaves, pine needles, and other debris from the roof, gutters, and on top of and underneath decks.
• Trim tall plants and bushes growing directly under eaves and make sure trees and plants have adequate space from your home and other vegetation.
• Remove dead and combustible plants and mulch; replace it with decorative rock or gravel.
• Cover exterior attic vents, soffit vents, and areas below decks and patios with 1/8″ metal wire mesh.

Be cautious with using power tools and other equipment that can throw sparks and don’t operate machinery in the heat of the day. Summer is a great time to plan defensible space projects to start working on in the fall when wildfire season is over.

How can I prepare myself in case I need to evacuate?

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) urges everyone to prepare for wildfires and other emergencies by knowing evacuation levels, staying informed, having a plan, and having a go-kit ready.

Evacuation Levels

• Oregon follows a three-level evacuation notification system, each structured around safety threat level.
• Oregonians should become familiar with “Be Ready, Be Set, Go!” evacuation levels to make informed decisions when receiving evacuation notices.
• OEM urges people to evacuate whenever they feel unsafe, conditions can change rapidly; individuals should always make the best decision for their safety.
• Following an evacuation, people should not return to the area until public safety officials state it is safe.

Stay Informed

• Stay informed sign up to receive evacuation at, ORAlert.gov remember to update information if need be.
• Find the websites for your county emergency management, sheriff’s office, or tribal police and follow them on social media.
• Check your phone settingsto ensure wireless emergency alerts are turned on.

Have a Plan

• Do you know what to do during an evacuation? This evacuation checklist explains what to do before, during, and after an evacuation.
• Establish a communication plan with a list of important contacts and a safe place for loved ones to meet if they are separated during an emergency.
• Identify multiple evacuation routes from home, work, or school and plan for transportation needs.
• People with disabilities should consider individual circumstances and specific needs when planning for evacuation, such as special equipment, transportation, and service animals.
• Have an evacuation plan for pets, make a pet evacuation kit in a tote bag or pet crate, and plan for transportation and sheltering of large animals such as horses and other livestock.

Make a Go-Kit

• Assemble an emergency kit of essential supplies that can be grabbed quickly.
• Pack an easy-to-carry backpack or bag for each household member with health and safety items such as food, water, medication, flashlights, phone chargers, clothing, and important documents. Visit American Red Cross to learn more.

Find more information and resources at Wildfire.Oregon.gov.

Recreate Responsibly

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) encourages visitors to know before they go when it comes to campfire restrictions. Due to the continued low humidity and risk of wildfires, OPRD banned campfires at all Oregon State Parks east of the Cascades as well as at parks in high-risk areas around the state until conditions improve. Most Oregon State Parks currently have a campfire ban. Please check park webpages or the wildfire feature story at stateparks.oregon.gov/ before your next visit. Thank you for helping to reduce the risk of wildfires.

 

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