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Another step has been taken that might eventually lead to Columbus city water being made available to Garden City residents.

Approval has been given by the Bartholomew County Commissioners for a local firm, Administrative Resources Association (ARa), to move ahead to apply for a $500,000 grant to bring municipal water to the Garden City Mobile Home Community LLC.

If funds can be obtained through the Indiana Office of Community and Urban Affairs, a line will be connected to a water treatment plant, and extend across property owned by Columbus Regional Health before it reaches Garden Street, which is in reach of the mobile home park, ARa Municipal Program manager Trena Carter said.

The quality of drinking water in the small town southwest of downtown Columbus has been a concern for several years. The Garden City Groundwater Plume site was placed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys National Priorities List in December 2013.

This has been something that has been needed for some time, commissioners chairman Carl Lienhoop said.

While the mobile home park is hooked up to the city sewer system, it is not served by the citys water utility at present. Instead, the homes are served by shared wells where pollution has been a concern for several years.

Two years ago, federal environmental officials said they would spend $320,000 to clean up trichloroethylene (TCE) in the plume, and to continue with filtering water at several private wells at properties there. TCE, which is an industrial solvent, has been known to be a cause of cancer.

Although water tests taken in 2018 did not turn up any form of health risk, former Columbus Utilities Director Keith Reeves said at the time those tests might be inconclusive because some residents dont want their wells tested. He cited trust issues among residents who fear they will be forced to connect to city utilities and pay installation costs that exceed their means, said Reeves, who was succeeded by Scott Dompke after Reeves retirement.

Going door-to-door to a number of Garden City homes, most homeowners said they were satisfied with the shared wells after they installed a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter system. But some said they would prefer hooking up to city water if the cost was within their means.

Carter said her organization, which is working with the county commissioners, Columbus City Utilities and the mobile home park, is still in the preliminary stages of requesting the money.

There are a lot of processes that need to happen before we will be ready to go to full application, Carter said. But if everything aligns, we hope to apply for the funding by this November. If not, we would look at something for the first of next year.

The decision to have ARa seek funds for the water line comes one month after the Garden City Mobile Home Community used a split Columbus City Council vote to their advantage.

Because there was no council decision, the park was allowed to follow the recommendation of the planning commission to rezone the 1-acre site that is capable of holding up to eight new mobile homes.

But in that same month, the mobile home park agreed to planning staff recommendations that include not bringing in new mobile homes until after the city of Columbus annexes the property.

Other conditions the planning staff placed on the mobile home parks request include:

The subject property is to be combined with the existing mobile home park parcel and developed with shared access and amenities.

No new homes may be occupied until public water service has been established.

A 6-foot tall fence shall be constructed along the railroad tracks.

Direct access from the subject property to State Road 11 shall be limited to emergency and construction use only.

Additional State Road 11 right-of-way shall be dedicated along the frontage of the subject property.

A minimum of 3,400 square feet of open space, including picnic and playground amenities, shall be provided.

Having the water line run to the mobile home park is expected to be split between 46 or 47 residences, mobile home park owner Dana DelSignore said last month.

When asked if a line carrying city water might make it more affordable for other Garden City residents to hook up to city water, Carter said the answer to that question is beyond her level of expertise.

There may be a possibility others could come on, but thats not what this project is about, Carter said. Its about getting water to the mobile home community.

Excerpt from:
Garden City closer to city water access - therepublic.com

At least 377 people were rescued from flooding in a Florida county.

Floodwaters rushed through parts of Alabama and Florida on Wednesday, turning roads into rivers, submerging cars and sending several out-of-control construction barges into waters along the Florida Panhandle as Hurricane Sally dumped a torrent of rain.

The surging water reached higher than five feet in Pensacola, Fla., and slammed a barge into a section of the Pensacola Bay Bridge that was under construction, destroying part of it, Sheriff David Morgan of Escambia County said.

The Pensacola area has already seen more than two feet of rainfall from Sally, and meteorologists said that up to 35 inches of rain could fall in coastal communities.

Sally made landfall at around 5 a.m. Central time over Gulf Shores, Ala., as a Category 2 hurricane and eventually weakened to a tropical depression after it passed through the Florida Panhandle, but its deluge was not forecast to let up any time soon. As of 9:30 p.m. Central time, the center of the storm was in southeastern Alabama, with its heavy rain extending into western Georgia. It was continuing to crawl northeast at about 9 miles per hour.

Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding occurring over portions of the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama the National Hurricane Center warned.

In and around Pensacola, several barges came loose and were floating out of control through the choppy waters, including one with a crane that was at one point heading toward the Escambia Bay Bridge. Sheriff Morgan said he had considered all kinds of ways to stop the barge as it neared the bridge, even getting permission to fire 40-millimeter grenades at it before determining that the extreme step would be too dangerous and likely would not work anyway. Luckily, he said, the barge ran ashore and never reached the bridge.

With water and downed trees making roads impassible, and with still strong winds, residents were told it could be hours before emergency services were dispatched in force. At least 377 people were rescued from flooded areas in Escambia County as of Wednesday afternoon, officials said, and at least one shelter had been opened to handle the crush of evacuees. Two rivers in the county are expected to overflow, leading to more flooding.

Mayor Tony Kennon of Orange Beach, Ala., said that one person had died as a result of the storm and that another was missing. Officials would perform minimal search-and-rescue operations at night because of dangerous conditions, including debris in the water, he said.

As of 9 p.m. Central time, 275,000 electricity customers in Alabama and 240,000 customers in Florida were still without power, prompting the National Weather Service in Mobile and Pensacola to issue warnings about the proper use of generators. At least seven people died from carbon monoxide poisoning from generators during Hurricane Laura last month.

Videos from residents and local media outlets showed images of homes that had been ripped apart by the howling winds, boats torn from their moorings and power lines downed in many towns and cities. In Foley, Ala., just north of the hurricanes landfall, images showed a destroyed mobile home and a door that appeared to have been yanked by wind from a house.

And everywhere, water.

In recent days, the storms projected point of landfall had veered by nearly 200 miles. It had once been expected to rake over the remote, low-lying areas of southeastern Louisiana and possibly reach beyond the New Orleans metropolitan area. Instead, it was the more populated areas around Mobile, Ala., and Pensacola that bore the brunt of the storm.

Blocked roads and standing water made driving difficult in Alabama.

Sally left much of south Alabama in a chaotic mess on Wednesday as it dumped rain and battered the region with dangerous wind gusts.

Mobile, which had virtually shut down, avoided the brunt of the storm but still saw high wind gusts that caused the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel, a high-rise, to sway and shudder as if it were in an earthquake. Outside, debris from damaged buildings cluttered walkways, including big panels that had flown off a valet parking overhang.

On Interstate 65, a few drivers inched their way across the high twin-span bridge north of the city that crosses the Mobile River. On Alabama State Route 59 a highway that ends at Gulf Shores large trees completely blocked northbound lanes, forcing drivers onto the opposite side of the road. Smaller roads were choked with fallen branches and leaves.

In Loxley, Ala., a convenience store and gas station was crowded with motorists fueling up. Inside, residents bought 12-packs of beer, cigarettes and potato chips.

Down the road, Tim Booth, 62, a semi-retired truck driver, was standing in his front yard, a mist of rain falling on him while he chopped up a downed fir tree with a buzzing chain saw. Mr. Booth said he and his wife and 19-year-old son had thought about heading to a relatives brick house in Pensacola, but they decided to ride out the storm given the predictions of relatively low wind speed.

But the wind was stronger than anybody thought, and Mr. Booths family spent a harrowing night in their mobile home. We really started feeling it after midnight, he said. Man, it just unloaded. It felt like Ivan a Category 3 hurricane from the 2004 season.

Rick Rojas

Nobody saw it coming.

Hurricane Sally looked like it was going to hit New Orleans. Then Gulfport, Miss. Then Mobile, Ala. But after making landfall in Gulf Shores, Ala., it took a right turn on Wednesday morning and plowed into Pensacola, Fla.

The city knows about the fickleness of hurricanes. But this one surprised nearly everyone. It was worst by the waterfront, where a pretty square called Plaza Ferdinand was a tangle of fallen magnolia and oak branches.

Nearby, two 72-foot catamaran ferries, used to shuttle tourists out to the Gulf Islands National Seashore, were banging wildly against black metal fencing near the marina. Frank Rawley, the captain of one of the boats, was improvising a way to tie them up. He said the dock to which they had been tethered was gone. Everything got ripped away, he said. It just tore everything away.

Sandy and Peter McDavid, the owners of the Palafox Wharf Reception Venue, a 19th-century building next to a marina, had come down to inspect the place, which if often rented for wedding receptions. A big blue sailboat had smashed into the railings of their deck. Water from the street had seeped onto the wooden floor on the ground level, and a skylight had blown off and let rainwater in, soaking the carpet on the second floor.

We werent expecting it, Mr. McDavid said. We thought it was going to go to Alabama.

Richard Fausset

Omi Yoder and her husband moved to the Bristol Park subdivision two months ago. They bought a brick house with white siding generously sized but not too fancy on a cul de sac next to a creek.

It is a place to nest: Ms. Yoder is due to have a baby her first child, a girl in about a month. On Wednesday, the place filled up with about two feet of water. The nursery they had been working on was ruined.

They had seen the water rising up from the street and were able to scramble and move some things upstairs. But the water ruined carpets and other things, which they and some friends were dragging out to the curb in the late afternoon.

Ms. Yoder did not know if the cars in the garage would start. They got water, too. She figured they would have to redo the floors. And start over again on the nursery.

She described her emotional state succinctly: Overwhelmed.

As raging wildfires burn vast swaths of the West Coast, and as the molasses-slow Hurricane Sally pounds the Gulf Coast, scientists say we are witnessing, again, the role of climate change in exacerbating natural disasters.

True to predictions by government scientists in May, this hurricane season has been among the most active on record, with 20 named storms so far. With the National Hurricane Center rapidly running out of letters of the alphabet for subsequent storms, ones after that will be based on the Greek alphabet in the likely event there are two more.

Scientists know that climate change has made hurricanes wetter, because as the atmosphere warms it can hold more moisture. But there is evidence that it can make them slow down, too, enabling the storms to pelt land with heavy rains and winds for longer.

Studies by Michael E. Mann, a climate scientist at Penn State, and others suggest that increased Arctic warmth reduces the temperature differential between that region and the tropics. This leads to a slowing of the jet stream, which affects other circulation patterns in the tropics but also in mid-latitude areas like North America.

Our work indicates that climate change is favoring this phenomenon, Dr. Mann wrote in an email. It likely plays a role in the decreased translation speed of landfalling hurricanes.

Though conservative media and President Trump have disputed any suggestion that climate change is a factor in the West Coast wildfires, scientists have identified it as a primary cause.

Hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola on the same day 16 years go.

Sally made landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Ivan, a Category 3 beast that made landfall just west of Gulf Shores on Sept. 16, 2004.

Sept. 16 does not seem to be a good day for Pensacola, Chief Deputy Sheriff Chip W. Simmons of Escambia County said in a briefing on Wednesday.

Ivan wreaked more havoc with its powerful winds, while Sallys rain and storm surge appeared worse, the deputy sheriff said, describing low-lying parts of western Perdido Key being underwater on Wednesday, with fallen trees and electricity poles.

The 2004 hurricane season was deadly. Hurricane Ivan killed 57 people in the United States and 67 people in Caribbean countries and caused billions of dollars in damage.

The storm also collapsed a portion of the I-10 Escambia Bay Bridge over Pensacola Bay, an eerie parallel to an accident during Sally. On Wednesday, the Pensacola Bay Bridge which was under construction and is known as the Three Mile Bridge sustained significant damage when a construction barge repeatedly slammed into it.

A couple of days ago, Pensacola officials hoped the worst part of the storm might miss them.

Then all of a sudden it takes a bit of a jog, Deputy Sheriff Simmons said, describing the storms path. And it stayed with us, and it stayed with us, and it stayed with us.

Still recovering from Hurricane Laura and now bracing for Hurricane Sally, residents along the Gulf Coast and the Eastern Seaboard warily watched reports of other major storms developing in the Atlantic.

On Monday, before Tropical Depression Rene dissolved, there were five concurrent named storms in the Atlantic, which has not happened since 1971, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Three are still active.

Hurricane Paulette packed winds of 100 miles per hour about 450 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada, and threatened to bring dangerous surf and rip current conditions to Bermuda, the Bahamas and parts of the Atlantic Coast.

Tropical Storm Teddy was gaining strength about 865 miles east of the Lesser Antilles and was projected to near major hurricane strength as it approaches Bermuda over the weekend.

And Tropical Storm Vicky had maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour about 710 miles west of Cape Verde, though it was not projected to threaten land and was expected to weaken in the coming days.

Reporting was contributed by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Johnny Diaz, Richard Fausset, Patricia Mazzei, Rick Rojas, Marc Santora, Daniel Victor and Will Wright.

Read more:
Hundreds Rescued as Floods From Hurricane Sally Hit Florida and Alabama - The New York Times

Emergency officials in Dauphin Island, Alabama, had to pick up about a dozen people stranded as sand and ocean water began to inundate part of the island Monday ahead of Hurricane Sally.

Mayor Jeff Collier said emergency officials drove a Humvee to pick up 12 to 15 people, incluidng an infant, the Associated Press reported.

At least four cars were lost.

We werent able to move the vehicles, they were already stuck in the sand, Collier said.

(MORE: Forecast Track for Hurricane Sally)

Parishes and counties along the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana ordered evacuations, closed beaches and made last-minute preparations Monday as Hurricane Sally strengthened into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.

My message to my fellow citizens is this: If youre in a flood-prone area, go ahead and get out now.," Pascagoula, Mississippi Mayor Steve Demetropolous told The Weather Channel. "Go stay with friends or family or go stay at a hotel, but get out now. If you have a chance of being flooded, please dont stay at home.

Sally is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge and flooding rain when it makes landfall, possibly as a Category 2 storm, overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning.

President Donald Trump approved disaster declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi.

Gov. Kate Ivey declared a state of emergency for Alabama on Monday morning. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves had declared states of emergency for their states over the weekend.

"Those on the Gulf Coast know a flood and heavy rains can be just as deadly as tropical winds," Ivey said.

In a briefing Monday morning, Gov. Reeves said, "Over the last 18 hours, a lot has changed."

Reeves said Sally, instead of making landfall in Louisiana, was now projected to hit Biloxi, Mississippi.

"The slowing of the storm is concerning," Reeves said. "The longer it stays out in the Gulf of Mexico, the higher the likelihood is it continues to grow in size and scope and severity."

Here are some of the steps states are taking to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Sally.

"Right now, Im doing what everybody else that has any sense would do," said Al Ward as he stocked up on propane Sunday at a hardware store in Gulfport, Mississippi. "Im being prepared for the worst and hoping it will be as it has been earlier this year. We dodged the bullet."

Ward told WLOX-TV he has dealt with a hurricane every year since moving to the coast.

"If you want to enjoy the pleasures of whats down here in South Mississippi, there are hazards that go with it as well," he said.

(MORE: Full List of Evacuation Orders Ahead of Sally)

Ward was one of many in south Mississippi preparing for Sally's arrival.

Evacuation shelters opened in Jackson, Hancock, Harrison counties, Pearl River and Stone counties.

Hancock County Emergency Management issued a mandatory evacuation beginning at 7 a.m. Monday "for all low lying areas, residents living on rivers, river inlets, bayous, creeks and in travel trailers." Also, modular homes, mobile homes, homes under construction and/or partially constructed homes were under evacuation orders.

Harrison County ordered mandatory evacuations "south of the Harrison County Sand Beach sea wall, including the 26 miles of Harrison County Sand Beach, as well as low-lying areas" in the county.

Jackson County asked residents in low-lying areas to evacuate voluntarily. The request applied to people who live along rivers, river inlets, bayous, creeks, and in travel trailers, modular homes, mobile homes and homes under construction.

Officials in Pascagoula, Long Beach, Gulfport, Pass Christian and Biloxi told boat owners to move their vessels out of city marinas and harbors, WLOX reported.

(MORE: Hurricane Sally Tracker)

Many schools along the coast announced they would dismiss students early Monday or close altogether. Districts that planned to close included Hancock County, Bay Waveland and Long Beach.

Officials in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties set up sandbag stations, WXXV-TV reported.

Rupert Lacy, Harrison County emergency management director, said U.S. Highway 90 will become impassable after sunset Monday into Tuesday and Wednesday, the Biloxi Sun Herald reported.

Lacy also said water will back up into the Bay of Biloxi, Bay of St. Louis and area rivers, lakes and low-lying areas.

Gulf Islands National Seashore closed islands and mainland areas of the national park in Florida and Mississippi because of Sally. The Davis Bayou Area and Mississippi islands including Petit Bois, West Petit Bois, Horn, Ship, and the NPS-owned portion of Cat Island closed at 5 p.m. Saturday. Campers at the Davis Bayou campground were told to evacuate by 9 a.m. Sunday.

In Alabama, officials are recommending evacuations in parts of Baldwin County, along the Gulf of Mexico and on the southeast edge of Mobile Bay. The advisory includes Gulf Shores and other beach communities, as well as some inland areas.

Gov. Ivey closed all the state's beaches effective at 3 p.m. Monday, and she recommended evacuations for all residents of flood-prone areas south of Interstate 10 and for all non-residents.

Sand and water surround vehicles on Tonty Court on Dauphin Island in Alabama as Hurricane Sally headed toward the Gulf Coast on Monday, September 14, 2020.

Mobile County public schools and Gulf Shores City schools closed Monday, WALA-TV reported. The University of South Alabama moved Monday and Tuesday classes online.

The Baldwin County Commission had an emergency meeting Monday morning to discuss preparations for Sally.

(WATCH: Why Slow-Moving Tropical Systems Are the Worst)

On Dauphin Island, Collier told residents to be ready for the storm.

"Once the conditions change, you dont have a chance to tweak your plan, so we just need to go ahead and be prepared for the worst-case scenario, and then as they say hope for the best," Collier said.

Monday morning, Collier announced on his Facebook page that flooding was already happening on the west end of Dauphin Island.

Gulf Shores lifeguards closed the waters to the public Sunday night because of the high risk of rip currents, WALA reported.

In New Orleans, the mayor issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents living outside of the parish's levee protection system: Venetian Isle, Irish Bayou and Lake Catherine. Those areas could see storm surge of 7 to 9 feet, the National Weather Service said.

The city's Sewerage and Water Board said all 99 of the city's drainage pumps are available for service. The other two were under repair and expected to be up and running ahead of any potential impacts from the storm.

The town of Grand Isle, Louisiana, on a tiny barrier island in the Gulf, also issued a mandatory evacuation order to begin at 9 a.m. Sunday. Mayor David Camardelle already had asked campers, RVs and boats to leave the island beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in the Jean Lafitte area of Jefferson Parish, too, including Barataria and Crown Point.

(PHOTOS: How Much Oil Did Hurricane Laura Spill?)

All of Jefferson's 192 drainage pumps are operating, Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said Sunday.

"What happened in the past doesnt matter," Lee Sheng said at a news conference. "We handle every threat the same ... You cant say, 'Im tired of this, I dont want to do it.' It doesnt matter what kind of year we've had ... we still have a major threat in front of us."

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in St. John the Baptist Parish for Pleasure Bend and low-lying areas of the parish north of Interstate 10 in LaPlace, including Frenier, Peavine and Manchac. A voluntary evacuation order is in place for the rest of the parish.

Plaquemines Parish ordered mandatory evacuations for the entire East Bank of the parish and on the West Bank from Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery to Venice. A voluntary evacuation is in place from the community of Oakville to the Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery.

President Matthew Jewell ordered a mandatory evacuation for all St. Charles Parish residents, saying Sally could cause widespread power outages and cut off the availability of crucial and emergency services.

"We want residents to heed our warnings and make preparations to leave now," Jewell said Sunday.

(WATCH: What the NHC Director Had to Say About Sally)

A mandatory evacuation is in effect south of the Leon Theriot Lock in Golden Meadow and all low-lying areas of Lafourche.

Several parishes announced schools would be closed Monday and Tuesday, including Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and Terrebonne parishes. In Orleans Parish, all Monday courses will be delivered online. No face-to-face courses will meet on campus on Monday. All Tuesday classes (in-person, online and hybrid) are canceled.

Loyola University will have classes Monday until 4 p.m. but will be closed Tuesday. The University of Holy Cross, Nunez Community College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary all plan to close.

The Louisiana National Guard tweeted that more than 1,200 soldiers and airmen along with 51 high-water vehicles, 32 boats, eight helicopters and two engineer work teams were being deployed in southeast Louisiana in preparation for Sally.

Sally arrives less than three weeks after Hurricane Laura came ashore in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 27.

Santa Rosa County and Escambia County schools closed Monday because of Sally, the Pensacola News Journal reported.

The two counties could see 10 to 20 inches of rain through Wednesday.

The University of West Florida announced all of its in-person classes are either going fully remote or are canceled from noon Monday through Tuesday. Pensacola State College also closed Monday.

In Pensacola, the county seat of Escambia, the mayor declared a state of emergency on Monday.

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Clinton and Randal Ream, with their son Saylor and daughter Nayvie, and two neighbors Aubrey Miller and Harmony Morgan, at their home in a small trailer park in West Pensacola, Fla. The area received a lot of damage after Hurricane Sally came through as a Category 2 hurricane in Pensacola, Fla., on Sept. 16, 2020. (Bryan Tarnowski for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Weather Companys primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

View post:
Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana Brace for Hurricane Sally; Cars Lost to Water, Sand in Dauphin Island - The Weather Channel

The federal government spends roughly $700 billion a year on the military. It spends perhaps $15 billion a year trying to understand and stopclimate change.

I thought about those numbers a lot last week, as I tried to stop my toddler from playing in ash, tried to calm down my dogs as they paced and panted in mid-morning dusk light, tried to figure out whether my air purifier was actually protecting my lungs, tried to understand why the sky was pumpkin-colored, and tried not to think about the carcinogen risk of breathing in wildfire smoke, week after week.

The government has committed to defending us and our allies against foreign enemies. Yet when it comes to the single biggest existential threat we collectively facethe one that threatens to make much of the planet uninhabitable, starve millions, and incite violent conflicts around the worldit has chosen to do near-nothing. Worse than that, the federal government continues to subsidize and promote fossil fuels, and with them the destruction of our planetary home. Climate hell is here. We cannot stand it. And we cannot afford it either.

Again and again, Republicans have insisted that it is clean energy and a safer, stabler homeland that we cannot possibly afford. The Paris climate accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers, who I love, and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories, and vastly diminished economic production, Donald Trump said, pulling out ofthe agreement, citing its draconian financial and economic burdens.

But the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changeestimatesthat global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels would cause something like $50 trillion in economic damage by the end of the century. The warmer the planet gets, the more expensive the consequences, and some scientists now predict that if the global community fails to act, temperatures will rise 4 degrees Celsius by 2100. If we do not limit emissions, economic activity across 22 vital American business sectors could decline by half a trillion dollars on an annual basis,one studyfound. No country save for India is expected to bear a heavier financial burden from climate change thanthe UnitedStates. (Indias anticipated damage is so high because of its already hot climate and large GDP.)

A warming planet is destroying the countrys physical infrastructure: In2019 alone, the United States experienced more than a dozen billion-dollar weather events, and 2020 might be worse. Fires in California and Oregon are incinerating homes, businesses, schools, power lines, and roads. Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast are swamping mobile homes and carrying away cars and livestock. The United States faces the potential task of relocating towns and cities and fortifying others, trapped in an endless cycle of destruction and rebuilding.

Climate change is damaging American productivity too, sapping away output from millions of workers and thousands of businesses. Researchershave estimatedthat every workday above 86 degrees Fahrenheit costs a given county $20 perpersonin lost income, with other studies showing workers who toil outside, such as construction workers and farmers, facing the worst and harshesteffects. Temperature increases screw with the economys basic elements, such as workers and crops, the researchers Tatyana Deryugina and Solomon M. Hsiang argue.

Climate change is killing Americans. Wildfires, heat waves, mudslides, hurricanes, and floods lead to hundreds if not thousands of deaths every year. But those are only the direct fatalities. Climate change is increasing rates of conditions such as heatstroke. Climate change is worseningbirth outcomes, leading to more premature deliveries and maternal deaths. Climate change is putting the world at risk of famine, and the United States at risk of hunger.

The air we are breathing is toxic because of our addiction to fossil fuels. As Dave Roberts writes atVox, ditching gas would be worth it for theeffects on air pollutionalone. The researcher Drew Shindell of Duke Universityhas testifiedthat keeping the world to a 2-degrees-Celsius pathway would prevent 4.5 million premature deaths, 3.5 million hospitalizations and emergency-room visits, and 300 million lost workdays over the next 50 years.

Climate change is also increasing rates ofdomestic abuse, pumping up the number ofgun deaths, leading to more violent interactions withpolice officers, inciting resource conflicts, and raising the likelihood of war andcivil conflicts. We all are at greater risk of violent death because of climate change, and not just as a result of changes in the weather. Trump sees himself as the law-and-order candidate, the man who can restore peace and security to the country. But homes across the West Coast are burning down. Some of my fellow Californians were recently immolated. My unhoused neighbors are suffering from smoke-induced asthma in the middle of a respiratory pandemic.

The Paris Agreement, the Green New Deal, cap-and-trade legislation, renewable-energy mandates: These things are not expensive. They are cheap compared with the cost of climate change. And they are necessary investments in our collective security, no less important or vital than investments in our military. Instead of subsidizing fossil fuels, the government could be creating millions of green jobs that would save the lives of millions around the planet. This election, and every election from here on out, is existential on this issue: If 2016, per the conservative writer Michael Anton, was theFlight 93 election, 2020 is the 4-degrees-Celsius election. Politicians can choose the safer, greener path for all of us, or the path to oblivion.

What price would we put on breathing without fear? What price would we put on keeping our children safe? What price would we put on being freed of this terror?

This story was originally published by The Atlantic. Sign up for their newsletter.

Read more:
The U.S. Is on the Path to Destruction - Defense One

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Plans to convert a Greensburg mansion into a group home for former mental health patients at Torrance State Hospital was approved this week over objections from neighbors who claimed the project could lower nearby property values.

The citys zoning hearing board voted to grant a special exception that clears the path for the property at 320 W. Pittsburgh St. to be sold and renovated for use as part of a $1.4 million county project, funded with state dollars, to allow former institutionalized mental health patients to relocate to a community setting.

The seven-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot brick home sits on 1.43 acres that serves as an entryway to Morey Place, a narrow, tree-lined street dotted with family homes.

Neighbors called on zoning board members to reject the project over safety and parking concerns as well as predictions that the group homes presence could drive down the value of their properties.

There are an astronomical number of concerns, said Alex Mickinak, a Morey Place resident.

Bill Lightcap, another Morey Place resident, said he feared the facility could house convicted sex offenders. We need to know if Megans Law or sex offenders will be in this facility, he said.

Officials said Southwest Behavioral Health, a private nonprofit based in Charleroi, will buy and renovate the building and operate what it calls a personal care home. Residents will not be locked in the facility, but they will be monitored around the clock by at least three staffers, administrator Lyndsay Burrik said.

No sex offenders are expected to moved into the facility, Burrik said, but she could give no assurances that none would be housed there in the future.

The ages of those expected to initially live in the home range between 40 and 80. The home will serve as their permanent residence, she said.

We want to give individuals a right to live in this community. Its a great place to live, Burrik said. If theres anything we can do to make people more comfortable, we are willing to listen.

John Sweeney, a Greensburg resident and Southwest Behavioral Care Board member, defended the project as one that fills a need for the community.

Theres this group of people in state homes who have languished in those facilities that really need a stepped-down level of care, Sweeney said.

Greensburg lawyer Jim Antoniono said he and his family have owned the home for more than two decades. He has been trying to sell it for more than 7 years. It is listed for sale at $650,000.

This is the first offer we had. Were moving next week, and this property will not stay as it is. I have enough room to put three or four mobile homes behind it, and if you dont approve this, I might have to consider something like that, Antoniono told the zoning board.

The property would be the second group home in Westmoreland Countys hospital diversion program and reduce the number of beds the county is allocated at Torrance, in Derry Township, from 46 to 32. The programs first group home in Penn Township opened for 10 residents in 2016.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293, rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories:Local | Westmoreland

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AP Published 5:12 p.m. ET Sept. 18, 2020

Bubba Watson was outside New York city preparing for the first round of the U.S. Open when Hurricane Sally made landfall on the Florida Panhandle, where he grew up and now lives again.

The first text I sent my wife is, Should I come home? Because golf is golf and life is more important than that, he said on Friday after shooting a 1-under 69 at Winged Foot to improve to 1 over for the tournament.

Right now Im trying to stay focused on a very difficult golf course instead of the very difficult situation at home, Watson said. But my wife is holding the fort down pretty nicely.

Two people died in Alabama and a Florida kayaker is missing after Sally slammed into the Gulf Coast early Wednesday morning with wind of more than 100 mph. Hundreds of thousands remained without power Friday.

Watson said he was ready to leave the club in Mamaroneck, New York, if wife Angie asked him to. But it wasnt clear whether he would even be able to fly into Pensacola during the storm, and the mobile home he stays in at tournaments would require a two-day drive.

If boss lady said, Come home. Or if there have been some more damage to my own house, I mean, Id have been down there as fast as I could get down there, Watson said, adding that after an opening round 72 he thought he might miss the cut and be able to leave Friday night.

My focus was I had my plane ready to go home today just in case because I wanted to get home and be with the family and be with the community. But now Ill have to cancel the flight, he said.

Thats a good problem to have, I guess, Watson said. Cancel the flight and be home late Sunday night, hopefully.

A two-time Masters champion who tied for fifth in the U.S. Open in 2007, Watson started the second round tied for 57th -- just inside the cut line. He knocked in three straight birdies before making the turn and was still 3 under before a double bogey on the final hole when his third shot -- a putt from the fairway -- rolled back off the green, farther back than he started.

Watson was in 20th place when he signed his scorecard, but he sensed that he might move up and he did.

Its not getting any easier out there, he said.

Watson said his family is all OK, and his house escaped the worst of the damage from the hurricane. Friends have been staying at his home, which has generators, and others have been coming by for ice and other essentials.

Watson also has three businesses in the area: a part-ownership of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos minor league baseball team, a car dealership and an ice cream and candy store called Bubbas Sweet Spot. There was some damage to the Wahoos stadium and the car dealership; he hadnt received a report on the candy store.

Watson said that when he gets home he would like to help Pensacola the way J.J. Watt helped in Houston after Hurricane Harvey flooded the city. The Texans defensive lineman raised more than $37 million and helped rebuild more than 1,000 homes.

Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has offered to help.

Something like that would be tremendous, Watson said. Anything like that in that direction, just to help the community, lift the spirits of the community because I know theres some people hurting for sure.

A self-proclaimed head case who is easily distracted -- he burnished the reputation when he backed off a tee shot three times at Doral in 2016 -- Watson said he cant blame the hurricane for distracting him from the tournament.

But nor did the devastation back home help keep golf in perspective. Even after making three birdies in a row, he said he was still worried whether he was going to make the cut.

Im telling you, Im still a head case, he said. You would think it would relax me a little bit.

___

More AP golf: https://apnews.com/apf-Golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Watson rallies in US Open with home, hurricane on mind - USA TODAY

Investigators say the motive remains unclear and they do not have a suspect.

BOTHELL, Wash. The fire that burned down two homes in Bothell was likely started by an arsonist, investigators said.

Investigators said the fire started around 9 p.m. Monday and it quickly spread from one home to a second.

Both houses were still under construction in the Jamison Estates development in the 3500 block of 226th Place SE.

Jiankai Yu was first to spot the flames and called 911.

He said the fire appeared to have started inside and immediately seemed suspicious.

"These houses were empty, unoccupied. I cannot really see how the fire was started without human intervention," he said.

The homes were easy targets: with no one living in the neighborhood yet, there were likely no witnesses, but there was plenty of tinder-dry, exposed wood to burn.

The heat from the fire blew out windows and melted fixtures on nearby houses.

While no one in Jamison Estates was in danger, another neighborhood, less than 100 feet up a small hillside, was full of families.

"If you left the fire unattended, I think these homes would all catch on fire and we would have a disaster," said Yu.

Fire investigators were on the scene for much of the day Tuesday, looking for clues to how the fire started and who set it.

For witness Hemanth Kalathal, the most concerning question was why the fire was set in the first place.

"That's scary because I don't want people coming around setting houses on fire," he said.

Making matters worse was the fact that a glass door of the community's model home appeared to have been smashed out.

The property owner, D.R. Horton, said it is not aware of any threats or suspicious activity involving the development.

The homes were destroyed. The total losses estimated at approximately $500,000.

Despite the destruction, construction of the other homes continued undeterred on Tuesday.

"If it was intentionally set, I hope they friggin' get them," said Norm Patterson, who lives in a nearby mobile home park.

Anyone with information should contact the Snohomish County Fire Marshal at 425-388-3557.

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Two homes in new Bothell neighborhood torched by arsonist - KING5.com

This drone footage over Cameron provides an immediate look at the damage done by Hurricane Laura in August 2020. To make a donation in support of the recovery efforts currently underway, please visit https://cameronlionsclub.com/home/contact-usdonate/. Lafayette Daily Advertiser

As Cameron Parish fisherman gathered Saturday seeking food and much needed relief from Hurricane Laura, the area once again fell under a tropical storm warning with the latest tropical system threatening flooding rain, storm surge and damaging winds.

Tropical Storm Beta's approach to the northwestern Gulf Coast triggered storm warnings from The National Weather Service. Cameron and Creole, where Laura made landfall just over three weeks ago with 150 mph winds as a Category 3 storm, again are included in a tropical storm warning, along with Grand Chenier.

The latest hurricane center advisory brings Beta ashore along the central Texas coast, but the lopsided storm's eastern section with its most damaging winds and rain are expected to slam Cameron Parish.

More: Tropical Storm Beta: Growing Gulf storm threatens surge, rain for southwest Louisiana

More: Tropical Storm Beta forms in the Gulf: Track it here

The Louisiana Sea Grant College Program visited Cameron on Saturday, under partly cloudy skies and gusty winds with Beta brewing just 220 miles south in the Gulf. Dozens of local residents showed up for the event, which featured meals, relief supplies and information about other relief available as they recover from Laura.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency set up its first mobile relief site last week in Cameron Parish to help residents pick up the pieces from Laura.

Now they're facing Beta, the latest in a record-breaking hurricane season that already has used up all of the pre-approved storm names and now is tapping the Greek alphabet.

The storm, with 60 mph winds,started its turn west Saturday, but the rains are expected as early as Saturday evening. The area could experience peak winds of 35 mph to 45 mph, with gusts of 65 mph, starting Wednesday, the weather service said.

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And through midweek, Cameron Parish could receive up to 10 inches of rain from Beta, with some locally heavy storms producing maybe twice that much, according to the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.

More: Rare Cameron Parish drone footage shows catastrophic Hurricane Laura damage

More: 'I knew I was going to die': Cameron shrimpers survive sinking boats during Hurricane Laura

Because conditions are still fragile in the area, "moderate rainfall flooding may prompt several evacuations and rescues," according to the weather service. "Rivers and tributaries may quickly become swollen with swifter currents and over spill their banks in a few places, especially in usually vulnerable spots."

Beta's flood waters also could enter some structures and weaken already frail foundations, the weather service said.

"Several places may experience expanded areas of rapid inundation at underpasses, low-lying spots, and poor drainage areas," according to a special alert issued by the weather service. "Some streets and parking lots take on moving water as storm drains and retention ponds overflow."

Many of the more than 7,000 people who live in mostly rural, marshy Cameron Parish are not able to stay there now as structural recovery continues. But for those who are in the area, driving conditions likely will become hazardous, and some roads and bridges likely will be close, the weather service warns.

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Cameron Parish could experience upto a three-foot storm surge, a fraction of the nearly 10-foot surge Laura brought but damaging regardless in an area already storm weary.

Those surges, expected early in the week, will shut down or wash out some escape routes and secondary roads, the weather service warned.

Isolated tornadoes also are possible in Cameron Parish, the weather service said.

"Locations could realize roofs peeled off buildings, chimneys toppled, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, large tree tops and branches snapped off, shallow-rooted trees knocked over, moving vehicles blown off roads, and small boats pulled from moorings," according to the weather service advisory.

This drone footage over South Cameron High School provides an immediate look at the damage done by Hurricane Laura in August 2020. To make a donation in support of the recovery efforts currently underway, please visit https://cameronlionsclub.com/home/contact-usdonate/. Lafayette Daily Advertiser

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Tropical Storm Beta: Here's the impact Cameron Parish can expect weeks after Hurricane Laura - Daily Advertiser

Rachel Mooney was caught off guard when smoky air poured into her Tualatin home that she closed up as best as she could. So she improvised. She tucked damp towels in gaps around window and door frames to stop more airborne ash and chemicals from entering.

She positioned fans to blow the bad air into towels she hung in doorways and she swung damp towels around in rooms, like waving a flag, she says.

After a few days, I have hardly any smoke now," she says. It works.

Rachel Mooney hung damp towels to catch smoky air in her Tualatin apartment.Rachel Mooney

When fires spread across Oregon, people surrounded by flames were showered in powdery residue, and even those living miles away were breathing air filled with dangerous gases and fine particles from charred building materials and vegetation.

Health experts are advising all residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, and to prevent harmful smoke from entering their homes.

Here is information on what more you can do to seal your home from smoke, rid indoor air and furnishings from the smell, and quickly make your yard more fire resistant. Wildfires will change the landscape of Oregons housing market: Real estate agents say an already low number of homes was just reduced by thousands.

Elizabeth Erekson thought her young family would be safe inside a newly constructed apartment in Sandy. But the gap between the front door and its frame, which annoyingly let in hot air all summer, was now a funnel directing smoke into her home.

She grabbed painters tape and duct tape, and sealed off the open spaces around doors and windows. She heard conflicting advice about turning on the air conditioner, so she taped a garage bag around the wall unit and didnt open a window.

She did run fans to keep the inside air flowing. Still, her eyes were stinging and her sinuses were burning.

We can smell the smoke, feel it on our faces and see it, she says. At night, when she turns off the room lights, her illuminated cell phone exposes clouds of particulates floating in the air.

Its eerie, weird, scary and stressful, she says.

Smoke made it hard for everyone in her family to breathe or sleep. On top of that, the neighbors carbon monoxide detector, triggered by wildfire smoke, beeped for days.

Experts say if pollutants are in the air, close any openings you can windows, outside doors, chimney flues and cover cracks that let air leak in. Turn off anything that draws in outside air, like a fresh air system, dryer or portable air conditioner with a hose vented out a window.

The biggest question we have been getting is, Should I run my central air conditioner? says Rachel Smith of Pyramid Heating + Cooling in Portland. Yes, you can run your A/C if it is not pulling air from outside. Just make sure to set the fan to on, rather than auto, to ensure the fan is constantly circulating and filtering air.

Energy Trust of Oregon experts recommend spending most of your time in a clean room without a fireplace or other openings to the outside, and keeping a portable air cleaner running constantly in that room.

Dust or mop surfaces with a damp cloth to collect settled particles.

Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution such as smoking, burning candles or firewood in the fireplace, boiling a pot of water on the stove with essential oils, or using a vacuum that doesnt have a high efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filter.

Check your heating filters daily and change or clean them when dirty. Once a filter is full, it no longer traps particulates.

Health experts and others recommend using only HEPA filters, which force air through a fine mesh and trap particles in central heating, ventilation, cooling and air (HVAC) systems.

You can create an air purifying filter by covering the front of a box fan with a HEPA furnace filter or one rated MERV-13 or higher. For safety, turn the fan off if you leave the house. Here are instructions to make a DIY air filter.

Indoor air quality monitors are designed to alert you to contaminants that affect the air you breathe so you can fix the problem.

To check the air quality in your area, visit IQair.com. Or visit the EPAs air quality website, airnow.gov, and type in your city or ZIP code. View interactive maps at the states web page, oregonsmoke.blogspot.com, or the EPAs web page, fire.airnow.gov.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality also allows smartphone users to check air quality though an app that can be found by searching for OregonAir in the app store.

The air quality index has been frighteningly high across Oregon for more than a week.

Its been a journey, says Erekson. But its been pretty heartwarming to see our community come together to offer support, like a ride to a store or help with animals.

Tiny smoke particles stick to surfaces and embed in porous carpeting, furniture, books and even paint, according to experts at ServiceMaster, which specializes in restoring buildings after water, smoke or fire damage.

Jim Grant of ServiceMaster of Portland says smoke smell from a fire that burned natural materials should dissipate over time with good air flow and cleaning.

The company offers these tips to reducing a strong, pervasive odor:

When the air is fresh again, open doors and windows to draw in outside air, and remove screens to clean them. Point fans toward doorways, room corners and windows to push smells out of the house.

Another way to blow out lingering odor is to close all but one window and one exterior door, and put a large fan outside the exterior door. Then turn the fan on high speed for 15 minutes to force fresh air into the room and out the open window. Repeat in other rooms.

Fresh air will help reduce the smell but you also need to clean items and surfaces.

Wipe walls, ceilings, floors and other solid surfaces with a solution of dish soap, white vinegar and warm water to remove smoke particles. Smoke residue doesnt stick to glass, but it does to window frames, sills, screens and blinds.

Sprinkle baking soda on upholstery and carpet, wait a few hours to allow it to absorb the smoke smell, then collect the baking soda using a vacuum with a HEPA filter.

Wash clothes, towels and linens, and launder or dry clean curtains, area rugs, furniture covers, cushions and any other affected fabrics. Follow the manufacturers cleaning recommendations.

Dont store clean items in your home until it is completely free of smoke odor.

Firefighters set up a command post and staging ground on Ron Crowell's Ashland property during a fast-moving fire in 2015. Crowell was praised by the Battalion Chief from the Medford Fire Department for his vigilant mowing, tree trimming and keeping highly inflammable shrubbery away from the house.

Everyone has heard that they need to clear flammable debris away from their home to thwart or diminish a fire. And yet, when trees die, people often think they can wait until fall when preparing for winter storms," says arborist Lisa Tadewaldt of Urban Forest Pro in Portland. But these trees should be addressed earlier to avoid fire danger.

She says the goal is to reduce the opportunity for a slow smolder to turn into a real fire outside your home.

Make sure roofs and gutters are cleared of dead leaves and pine needles, and vents are screened with metal wire mesh no larger than an 1/8 inch to prevent materials from collecting.

Dont let debris accumulate around storage sheds, propane tanks or wood decks, and consider fire-resistant alternatives for wood fences, outdoor furniture and play sets.

No plant is fireproof, but many are more difficult to ignite. OSU Extension has a free guide, Fire-resistant Landscapes Plants for the Willamette Valley, of recommended ground covers, perennials, shrubs and trees with moist, supple leaves and water-like sap.

Old trees are more resilient to damage from wildfires and, if pruned, can act as a living wall that reduces fires intense heat and blocks airborne embers, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

To prevent a ground fire from climbing and spreading, remove branches that hang over a house and low branches that are less than six to 10 feet above the ground. Leave 30 feet between a group of two to three trees or 20 feet between lone trees. Remove small conifers growing between mature trees.

Cut dry, brown grass and shrubs, which are also fuel for wildfires.

Experts also recommend that you create a fire break with driveways, gravel paths and green lawns, and make sure your address numbers are clearly visible to emergency responders trying to find you.

Burning embers can travel great distances and the steps you take now to create a defensible space around your property can minimize fire risks, says Tadewaldt.

A mobile home in Medford that Terry Rasmussen of John L. Scott Real Estate listed two weeks for $85,000 went pending this week for $25,000 more after a bidding war.John L. Scott Real Estate

Terry Rasmussen in John L. Scott Real Estates Medford office says everyone, especially those in the process of buying or selling a home, has been impacted by Oregons fires. In his part of southern Oregon, the Almeda fire alone destroyed more than 2,000 residential structures.

The market was already starved for inventory even before the fire, says Rasmussen. Thousands of people have been displaced; many were living on low or fixed incomes in mobile home parks.

Areas devastated by wildfires in the past saw prices of homes temporarily drop as sites were cleared and rebuilding construction was underway. The cost to rebuild later resulted in higher asking prices, according to real estate experts.

At the same time, home prices and rents rose in unaffected areas as people relocated there.

I see a lot of pain, but heres what I know about southern Oregon, we will come together, says Rasmussen. Builders who have competed for years are working together and real estate agents are searching for rentals for people without a home.

Rasmussens clients represent the range of change:

Whitney Minnich of John L. Scotts Oregon City office says real estate transactions that were able to continue during the coronavirus pandemic are being delayed due to the fires.

Lenders require mortgaged homes to have insurance and many insurance companies have placed a moratorium on fire affected areas.

Lenders are also ordering a re-inspection of a property to make sure the home is still standing and some stopped funding federal Freddie Mac loans after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stepped in to help hard-hit Oregon counties.

Homeowners who were undecided about selling may wait, says Minnich, but people who have to sell, will. We already have an inventory problem and fires only compounded the issue, she says.

Rasmussen, working on the other end of the state, agrees.

People are desperate for housing," he says. A mobile home in Medford that he listed two weeks ago for $85,000 went pending this week for $25,000 more after a bidding war.

If you put your house on the market, it will be swallowed up, he says, unless you ask a ridiculous price.

People who want to rebuild are also facing a scarcity of building supplies that had already skyrocketed in costs. On top of the cost going up, it takes years to rebuild a couple thousand homes, he says.

Rasmussen and Minnich both fear that the housing lost to fire that was affordable will be lost forever.

Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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Smoke in your home: How to clear the air, clean up and prevent fires from spreading - oregonlive.com

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden says the Federal Emergency Management Agency is now on the ground in Oregon to help the thousands of people impacted by the massive wildfires that are still burning across the state.

He said state officials have plenty of federal money to immediately provide free hotels rooms or apartments to every family displaced from their homes.

Walden, a Republican from Hood River, represents most of eastern and southern Oregon, including the fire-decimated communities of Phoenix and Talent.

In a conference call with the press Wednesday morning, he encouraged anyone adversely affected by the wildfires to register with the federal agency by calling 1-800-621-3362 or going online to DisasterAssistance.gov.

The sooner they do that the sooner theyre in the queue and can move forward, he said. Then FEMA will reach out and begin providing assistance.

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden met with FEMA officials about assistance to Oregon. (The Oregonian)

Walden said hes pleased the president moved so rapidly to approve the governors request for an emergency declaration of this magnitude, freeing up resources for those affected.

He added the state has a housing plan for those who lost homes to the fires. People should call 2-1-1 to get free housing. But he said registering with FEMA is key.

FEMA, with the help of state officials, has identified and catalogued available housing in the state, including hotel rooms and apartments. They have that list, so going through FEMA is the best way to get access to housing, Walden said.

But he noted that the supply of available housing will be tight in some areas, particularly southern Oregon.

In the Phoenix and Talent areas, about 2,700 homes were destroyed, Walden said. Just 400 new housing units were built in all of Jackson County in 2019, he said. Now families need almost seven times that many new homes.

A sign that reads "Heart broken" is displayed in front of a destroyed vehicle at Coleman Creek Estates mobile home park in Phoenix, Ore. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)AP

The congressman said hes heard that a rumor is circulating about housing vouchers being necessary to access temporary housing.

Theres no such thing as housing vouchers, he said. This is all taken care of without that [when people register with FEMA].

The money is there, he added. No one should be sleeping in their car. Lack of resources is not an issue.

Walden expects the federal response will be swift and significant thanks to President Donald Trumps major disaster declaration on Tuesday. He says the U.S Army Corps of Engineers is already on the scene.

Youll see an increased presence of federal disaster-assistance personnel in the state, he said.

Walden joined U.S. senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and fellow U.S representatives Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader and Suzanne Bonamici in a statement Wednesday morning announcing the disaster declaration.

The damage from the wildfires across Oregon is catastrophic, and the scale of the recovery is beyond the capabilities of the state, DeFazio, a Democrat from Lane County, said in the statement. Im grateful for the White Houses swift action in declaring a major disaster.

Merkley, also a Democrat, added that he had driven over 600 miles from Portland to Medford and back -- meeting with first responders, talking to people who have suffered terrible loss, witnessing unimaginable devastation. Its clear that our state is going to need an unprecedented amount of support in our response and recovery.

In his virtual press conference, Walden said he has visited the southern Oregon towns of Phoenix and Talent and seen the burned-out buildings, the lots with nothing left standing, the mobile homes reduced essentially to cinders.

I think people are still in a state of shock and disbelief, he said. The fire was so hot and vicious. Theres not a lot left behind.

He added that, during a meeting Wednesday morning with FEMA officials, he recommended that they come down to southern Oregon in particular, given the scale of home losses there.

People are going to be displaced for some time, he acknowledged.

The good news, he added, is this [federal assistance] system will start to work right away now that we have the national disaster [declaration] in place.

-- Douglas Perry

dperry@oregonian.com

@douglasmperry

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Greg Walden says Oregonians in shock from Oregon wildfire devastation but federal response will make differ - OregonLive