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Governor over Vernonia, December 2007
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| Governor Tours Flood-Damaged Vernonia |
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Home of Mark and Karin Baer in Vernonia
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Salem, December 4, 2007 - After a 7:00 a.m. briefing at the Emergency Coordination Center in Salem this morning, Governor Kulongoski flew to Vernonia to spend several hours in the town of Vernonia today, meet with local residents and officials and tour some of the hardest hit areas.
The Governor traveled to the site in a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter along with Brig. General Mike Caldwell and Oregon State Police Superintendent Tim McLain and other state officials, departing at 8:30 a.m. The Blackhawk landed in a soccer field where the Governor was met by Columbia Commission Chair Tim Hyde. While there the Governor received an update from the local electrical utility and the head of the medical clinic, Dr. Phyllis Gilmore of Providence Medical Group. She told the Governor her clinic is under 4 feet of water.
The Governor and commissioner Hyde continued their site visit by car, avoiding many impassable roads. They toured the Vernonia schools and met with the Vernonia School Superintendent Dr. Cox and Vernonia School Board Chair Kim Wallace. The grade school, middle school and high schools are all so damaged by the flood that they are unusable and the Governor pledged to assist in getting modular classrooms to the community so school can get back in session as soon as possible.
The Governor stopped the tour several times to walk through the neighborhoods, which were far from deserted. Around every corner residents were working on cleaning up their homes and properties.
On “B” Street Governor Kulongoski met Mark and Karin Baer and toured their home, as they were preparing to evacuate with their two cats and dog, Molly. The Baers report that they were shocked at how quickly the water rose and that they were unable to get safe passage out of town the night before. Their home suffered extensive water damage after the Nehalem River washed through their neighborhood. The water line was visible at about 4 feet on their home foundation.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Governor Kulongoski told the Baers. “I promise we will do whatever it takes to help you put the pieces back together again.”
Governor Kulongoski also met with neighbors who live on Heather Lane, which runs perpendicular to Highway 47. Residents were using canoes and drift boats to traverse their street. He ended the ground tour by visiting the Incident Command Center of the National Guard. The town of Vernonia suffered many hours of isolation after roads in and out were completely blocked due to rising water and downed trees yesterday, but at approximately 3:00 am, the National Guard was able to break through the road to provide assistance.
Before heading back to Portland, Governor Kulongoski gave Commissioner Hyde an aerial tour of the towns of Jewell and Mist from the Blackhawk as Com. Hyde had been unable to access them by land.
Yesterday, on December 3, 2007, Governor Kulongoski declared a state of emergency in Oregon, which allows the Governor to dispatch all necessary state resources to assist affected counties. The National Guard, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and other agencies have been working 24 hours to provide materials, people and other resources to the counties.
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| A flooded school in Vernonia |
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Governor Kulongoski, December 2007
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| Heather Lane Residents in Vernonia |
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Governor Kulongoski, December 2007
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