Douglas County Wildfire Update Sunday 09/20/2020

 Douglas Co. Sheriff's Office

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. - Individuals affected by the Archie Creek Fire are encouraged to start the process of applying for Individual Assistance available through FEMA. Residents are encouraged to learn more at https://www.disasterassistance.gov or https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual. 

"FEMA is standing by to assist those qualified with individual assistance who have been displaced or who have lost things such as vehicles by the Archie Creek Fire," Sgt. Brad O'Dell said. "However, in order for assistance to be available, it is imperative individuals begin the application process now through FEMA."

Additionally, Emergency Management is seeking information from the public regarding property damages incurred as a result of the Thielsen and Archie Creek Fires. Owners are asked to visit www.dcso.com/fires and fill out the form regarding damages. The information may be shared with local, state and federal organizations who may be able to assist individuals impacted by these incidents.

EVACUATIONS

The Archie Creek Fire has evacuation level changes effective today, Sunday, September 20, 2020, at 12:00 pm. The changes include: 

• Banks Creek east to the end of Nonpareil Road is reduced from a Level 2 "BE SET" to a Level 1 "BE READY". 
• Little River Road from the Highway to Buckhorn has had its formal Level 1 "BE READY" notice lifted. There are no formal evacuation levels for this area, at this time. 
• Glide Proper from Highway 138 at Little River Road, east to the Idleyld Trading Post has had its formal Level 1 "BE READY" notice lifted. There are no formal evacuation levels for this area, at this time. 

The following Archie Creek evacuation levels remain in place and unchanged: 

• Little River Road west of New Bridge Road to the end of Little River Road. This includes all side streets between these two points remains a Level 2 "BE SET".
• Highway 138 at the Narrows Wayside (Idleyld Trading Post) east to Steamboat remains a Level 2 "BE SET". This includes all side streets between these two points as well as the Steamboat Inn and Mott Bridge residential area.
• Dry Creek including Happy Creek Lane, Felix Flat, Elk Ridge Lane and Illahee Road remains a Level 2 "BE SET".

The following Thielsen Fire evacuation levels remain in place and unchanged:

• Diamond Lake, including the resort, all recreation sites and summer homes remain a LEVEL 3 "GO!". 

RED CROSS WILDFIRE RECOVERY KITS 

The Red Cross now has Wildfire Recovery kits available for pickup daily from 8 AM to 7 PM at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

Each kit contains a shovel, rake, sifter, N95 masks, work gloves, tarp, trash bags, tote, hand sanitizer, and field meals.

Wildfire kits are free to anyone who proves residence at an address that suffered fire damage.

GLIDE DONATION CENTERS

Beginning Sunday, September 20, 2020, Glide Revitalization and Glide Strong are open at the old Glide Middle School (301 Glide Loop Drive) every day from 10am-7pm for families that have been affected by the Archie Creek Fire. Impacted residents are encouraged to get items that have been donated including diapers and baby items, toiletries, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, food, tents, sleeping bags, bedding, children’s toys, adult and children books and much more. Shoppers will need to show photo ID before admission.

Volunteers will also help individuals register with FEMA if they have lost their home. Residents are asked to bring their Social Security Number, insurance policy information, address, phone number, description of disaster-caused damage and losses, total household annual income, and bank routing information.

Glide Baptist church also still has plenty of clothing available. They are open each day from 10-7.

To volunteer at Glide Baptist Church, please register at www.glidestrong.com

THANK YOU to Douglas Timber Operators and United Way for making this donation center possible!

BEWARE OF SCAMS

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office wants to remind community members who want to assist families, to be cautious of scams. Often times during emergencies, fraudulent crowdfunding sites are established to give the appearance of victim relief funding. While we recognize not all crowdfunding sites are fraudulent, it can be difficult to determine which ones are legitimate. It is encouraged that those wishing to make financial contributions do so through official organizations. A few are listed below: 

• Glide Strong (Operating through Glide Revitalization)
• Glide Helping Hands
• Cascade Community Credit Union
• Douglas Timber Operators
• Greater Douglas United Way
• Salvation Army
• American Red Cross

If you decide to make a contribution through a crowd funding site, please take time to research who is operating the donation request and that the funds will go where you intend them. 

STATE HIGHWAY INFORMATION

Highway 138E remains closed to the public. Residents who show proof of residency are being permitted past the road closure, but should expect delays. For the latest information from ODOT regarding road closures, visit www.tripcheck.com.

DOUGLAS COUNTY EVACUATION LOCATION AND EMERGENCY SHELTER INFORMATION:

As a reminder the Douglas County Commissioners along with Douglas County Fair Officials opened up the Douglas County Fairgrounds as an evacuation and temporary re-homing location and continue to welcome displaced wildfire residents and livestock. The Douglas County Fairgrounds continues to be the local hub for our displaced residents with many amenities including full hookup RV sites, camping, showers, emergency shelter, meals, supplies, livestock boarding, resources with a steady supply of amazing of local volunteers and donations to help.  We have an amazing community! 

Update: RV full hook up spaces were available, and we have electrical only hook up locations and plenty of dry camping spots available.  Space and priority is being given to Douglas County residents who have received Level 2 and Level 3 Evacuation notices. For more information about space availability at the Fairgrounds, please contact Ciera Keith at the Fairground Office at (541) 440-4394. 

Update: The horse and large animal stalls have room for livestock.  If you have horses or other large animals, please contact Ciera Keith at the Fairground Office at (541) 440-4394.  If you have small animals and pets (cats, dogs, birds, etc) that need boarding due to the wildfires, please contact Saving Grace at (541) 672-3907.  For other small animals like pigs, sheep or goats, contact the Douglas County Fairgrounds for space information. 

USDA CAN ASSIST FARMERS AND RANCHERS WHO HAVE LOST LIVESTOCK DUE TO WILDFIRES

Shared from the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced livestock owners and contract growers who lost livestock due to wildfires are eligible for assistance under the USDA’s Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). The LIP program can cover losses but there are several requirements owners must meet to be eligible for payments. The USDA is providing an informational flyer outlining the process. Owners are also encouraged to contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices for help in applying for assistance, phone numbers can be found on the flyer.  “As soon as Oregon farmers and ranchers can safely evaluate the impacts to their farming operation we encourage them to reach out to their local FSA office,” said Alexis Taylor, Director, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). “We know many of Oregon’s wildfires continue to burn and the full impact on agriculture won’t be known for some time, yet as we slowly move into recovery mode we want to ensure our farmers and ranchers have access to every resource available” Statewide there are nearly 30 wildfires burning and more than 900,000 acres burned.