WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Oregon and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by a severe winter storm, flooding, mudslides, landslides, and debris flows during the period of January 13-21, 2011.
Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm, flooding, mudslides, landslides, and debris flows in the counties of Clackamas, Clatsop, Crook, Douglas, Lincoln, and Tillamook.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Dolph A. Diemont has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Diemont said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
Follow FEMA online at http://blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only.
FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Showing posts with label landslides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label landslides. Show all posts
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR DEBRIS FLOWS IN CASCADES, COAST RANGE
Posted: June 1st, 2010 10:19 PM
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ADVISING RESIDENTS AND TRAVELERS IN THE COAST RANGE AND THE CASCADES OF HEAVY RAIN FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS. THE HEAVY RAIN ON SNOW WILL CAUSE THE INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR DEBRIS FLOWS FROM THE LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN.
DEBRIS FLOWS ARE DANGEROUS, RAPIDLY MOVING LANDSLIDES. STEEP SLOPES, CANYONS, GORGES AND THE MOUTHS OF MOUNTAIN STREAMS ARE THE LOCATIONS AT GREATEST RISK. PERSONS THAT LIVE OR MAY TRAVEL THROUGH THESE LOCATIONS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF DEBRIS FLOWS DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER PERIODS OF INTENSE RAINFALL.
Care should be taken when traveling over the mountains during this time. The most dangerous places include:
• Canyon bottoms, stream channels, and areas of rock and soil accumulation at the outlets of canyons;
• Bases of steep hillsides;
• Road cuts or other areas where slopes of hills have been excavated or over steepened;
• Places where slides or debris flows have occurred in the past.
"Debris flows are rapidly moving landslides that can destroy everything in their paths," said James Roddey, Earth Science Information Officer for the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI). "They can easily travel a mile or more, depending on the terrain. They'll contain boulders and logs and transport those in a fast-moving soil and water slurry."
"People want to know what they should do when they hear about the potential for debris flows and landslides," said Roddey. "Some areas are more hazardous than others when the danger of landslides is high. People know that if there's a flood warning, they should stay away from the river. We also want them to start thinking about staying away from steep slopes during intense rainstorms. Knowing ahead of time where the danger areas around your home for potential landslides might be is the first step in being prepared," explains Roddey.
Roddey recommends several steps:
• Stay alert. Listen to the radio, TV, or a weather radio for flood watches, which include the potential for debris flows and if told to evacuate, do so immediately;
• Listen for unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together. A trickle of falling mud or debris may precede larger landslides;
• If you think there is danger of a landslide, leave immediately;
• If water in a river or stream suddenly turns muddy or the amount of water flowing suddenly decreases or increases, this is a warning that the flow has been affected upstream. You should immediately leave the area because a debris flow may soon be coming downstream;
• Assume highways are not safe. Be alert when driving, especially at night. Don't overdrive your headlights. Embankments along roadsides may fail, sending rock and debris onto the road;
• Landowners and road managers should check road drainage systems and conduct needed maintenance in case the predicted heavy precipitation does occur.
Cleaning up after landslides can also be hazardous. "When it's this wet outside, people need to be careful when they're cleaning up the mess. A small mudslide can actually be part of a larger landslide," explains Roddey. "Cleanup should not be done until after the storm."
The official statement from the National Weather Service can be found at: http://www.weather.gov/alerts/or.html
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ADVISING RESIDENTS AND TRAVELERS IN THE COAST RANGE AND THE CASCADES OF HEAVY RAIN FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS. THE HEAVY RAIN ON SNOW WILL CAUSE THE INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR DEBRIS FLOWS FROM THE LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN.
DEBRIS FLOWS ARE DANGEROUS, RAPIDLY MOVING LANDSLIDES. STEEP SLOPES, CANYONS, GORGES AND THE MOUTHS OF MOUNTAIN STREAMS ARE THE LOCATIONS AT GREATEST RISK. PERSONS THAT LIVE OR MAY TRAVEL THROUGH THESE LOCATIONS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF DEBRIS FLOWS DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER PERIODS OF INTENSE RAINFALL.
Care should be taken when traveling over the mountains during this time. The most dangerous places include:
• Canyon bottoms, stream channels, and areas of rock and soil accumulation at the outlets of canyons;
• Bases of steep hillsides;
• Road cuts or other areas where slopes of hills have been excavated or over steepened;
• Places where slides or debris flows have occurred in the past.
"Debris flows are rapidly moving landslides that can destroy everything in their paths," said James Roddey, Earth Science Information Officer for the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI). "They can easily travel a mile or more, depending on the terrain. They'll contain boulders and logs and transport those in a fast-moving soil and water slurry."
"People want to know what they should do when they hear about the potential for debris flows and landslides," said Roddey. "Some areas are more hazardous than others when the danger of landslides is high. People know that if there's a flood warning, they should stay away from the river. We also want them to start thinking about staying away from steep slopes during intense rainstorms. Knowing ahead of time where the danger areas around your home for potential landslides might be is the first step in being prepared," explains Roddey.
Roddey recommends several steps:
• Stay alert. Listen to the radio, TV, or a weather radio for flood watches, which include the potential for debris flows and if told to evacuate, do so immediately;
• Listen for unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together. A trickle of falling mud or debris may precede larger landslides;
• If you think there is danger of a landslide, leave immediately;
• If water in a river or stream suddenly turns muddy or the amount of water flowing suddenly decreases or increases, this is a warning that the flow has been affected upstream. You should immediately leave the area because a debris flow may soon be coming downstream;
• Assume highways are not safe. Be alert when driving, especially at night. Don't overdrive your headlights. Embankments along roadsides may fail, sending rock and debris onto the road;
• Landowners and road managers should check road drainage systems and conduct needed maintenance in case the predicted heavy precipitation does occur.
Cleaning up after landslides can also be hazardous. "When it's this wet outside, people need to be careful when they're cleaning up the mess. A small mudslide can actually be part of a larger landslide," explains Roddey. "Cleanup should not be done until after the storm."
The official statement from the National Weather Service can be found at: http://www.weather.gov/alerts/or.html
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Oregon Doesn't just have floods
It might seem like Oregon does not have many disasters. We usually hear about the yearly flood in the same old places. However, our state is very large and is divided by the Cascade mountain range into two distinct geographic areas that suffer different types of disasters, many of which are not large enough for a Federal Declaration, but are certainly devastating to those affected.
If an event is not big and horrible, we won’t hear much about it on the news outside of the affected area. If it is not happening to us, we don’t spend much time thinking about it. This can lead to a false sense of security. We forget to plan.
When I encourage people to be prepared for an emergency, I am often told that all we have are floods and that it is “no big deal”. I disagree. Besides flooding being a very big deal, Oregon can and has suffered a wide variety of hazards, both natural and man-made.
Most recently parts of Oregon suffered from The Great Coastal Gale of 2007. A series of powerful Pacific storms hit the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia between December 1, 2007 and December 3, 2007.
The storms on December 2 and 3 reportedly produced an extreme long-duration wind event with hurricane-force wind gusts of up 129 mph at Bay City, Oregon. The storm also brought heavy rains and produced widespread record flooding throughout the region, particularly Vernonia, and was blamed for at least 18 deaths. That’s a big deal.
Oregon’s history reveals many short-term and a few long-term droughts. Long-term drought periods of more than one year can impact forest conditions and set the stage for potentially devastating wildfires.
And don’t forget the Spring Break Quake. Oregon is quite vulnerable to earthquakes (and tsunamis, which often accompany major seismic events) because of the state’s proximity to the Cascadia Subduction Zone just off the Pacific Coast.
Depending on the epicenter, areas receiving major damage from an 8.0 – 9.0 magnitude earthquake would include most of the counties in Western Oregon; the heavily populated metropolitan areas of Portland, Salem, and Eugene would certainly experience major damage.
Landslides also pose significant threat to many communities in Oregon. They threaten transportation corridors, fuel and energy conduits, and community facilities. While not all landslides result in property damage, many landslides impact roads and other infrastructure, and can pose a serious life-safety hazard.
That’s just a few of the events that Oregonians have suffered through over the years. Earthquakes, fires, severe storms, power outages, mudslides, snow storms, and thunderstorms are some potential emergencies we may encounter in the future.
We are also at risk for blackouts, chemical emergencies, and terrorist attacks. Oregon has even seen a tornado or two over the years.
So, why the concern over different types of disasters?
In some cases such as winter storms, we have prior warning, but sometimes we don’t. What if it isn’t a storm? What if one of the big semi trucks carrying toxic chemicals turns over in your town? Your family plan for flooding should be different than your plan for a chemical spill. Knowing what the possibilities are will help you create a better plan.
Knowledge is power.
Brains often freeze under extreme stress. Having a plan and practicing your family plan ahead of time can train you not to freeze. People automatically do what they have learned and practiced.
“Knowing where to go was the most important thing,” says a 9/11 survivor. “Because your brain, or at least mine – shut down.”
Bill McMahon, a Morgan Stanley executive who survived 9/11 said “One thing you don’t ever want to do is to have to think in a disaster.”
Have a plan, get a kit and be informed. Know the possible disasters for Oregon. Talk to your family about what to do in different situations. Stay safe and call or write with any disaster related questions.
If an event is not big and horrible, we won’t hear much about it on the news outside of the affected area. If it is not happening to us, we don’t spend much time thinking about it. This can lead to a false sense of security. We forget to plan.
When I encourage people to be prepared for an emergency, I am often told that all we have are floods and that it is “no big deal”. I disagree. Besides flooding being a very big deal, Oregon can and has suffered a wide variety of hazards, both natural and man-made.
Most recently parts of Oregon suffered from The Great Coastal Gale of 2007. A series of powerful Pacific storms hit the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia between December 1, 2007 and December 3, 2007.
The storms on December 2 and 3 reportedly produced an extreme long-duration wind event with hurricane-force wind gusts of up 129 mph at Bay City, Oregon. The storm also brought heavy rains and produced widespread record flooding throughout the region, particularly Vernonia, and was blamed for at least 18 deaths. That’s a big deal.
Oregon’s history reveals many short-term and a few long-term droughts. Long-term drought periods of more than one year can impact forest conditions and set the stage for potentially devastating wildfires.
And don’t forget the Spring Break Quake. Oregon is quite vulnerable to earthquakes (and tsunamis, which often accompany major seismic events) because of the state’s proximity to the Cascadia Subduction Zone just off the Pacific Coast.
Depending on the epicenter, areas receiving major damage from an 8.0 – 9.0 magnitude earthquake would include most of the counties in Western Oregon; the heavily populated metropolitan areas of Portland, Salem, and Eugene would certainly experience major damage.
Landslides also pose significant threat to many communities in Oregon. They threaten transportation corridors, fuel and energy conduits, and community facilities. While not all landslides result in property damage, many landslides impact roads and other infrastructure, and can pose a serious life-safety hazard.
That’s just a few of the events that Oregonians have suffered through over the years. Earthquakes, fires, severe storms, power outages, mudslides, snow storms, and thunderstorms are some potential emergencies we may encounter in the future.
We are also at risk for blackouts, chemical emergencies, and terrorist attacks. Oregon has even seen a tornado or two over the years.
So, why the concern over different types of disasters?
In some cases such as winter storms, we have prior warning, but sometimes we don’t. What if it isn’t a storm? What if one of the big semi trucks carrying toxic chemicals turns over in your town? Your family plan for flooding should be different than your plan for a chemical spill. Knowing what the possibilities are will help you create a better plan.
Knowledge is power.
Brains often freeze under extreme stress. Having a plan and practicing your family plan ahead of time can train you not to freeze. People automatically do what they have learned and practiced.
“Knowing where to go was the most important thing,” says a 9/11 survivor. “Because your brain, or at least mine – shut down.”
Bill McMahon, a Morgan Stanley executive who survived 9/11 said “One thing you don’t ever want to do is to have to think in a disaster.”
Have a plan, get a kit and be informed. Know the possible disasters for Oregon. Talk to your family about what to do in different situations. Stay safe and call or write with any disaster related questions.
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