Union County Added to Federal Disaster Aid After December Storms

Union County governments, utilities and eligible nonprofits can now tap federal Public Assistance after December storms ripped through Oregon, leaving the county with about 40 miles of downed power lines, 19 downed poles and 2,056 Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative customers without power for more than two days.

The major disaster declaration, approved April 10 and announced by FEMA on April 11, covered Public Assistance for nine counties, including Union County, after storms from Dec. 15 to Dec. 21, 2025 brought damaging rain, wind, flooding, landslides and mudslides across the state. Gov. Tina Kotek requested the declaration on Feb. 19, 2026, following an event Oregon officials described as an unusually intense atmospheric river.

For Union County, the money can help local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations pay for debris removal, emergency protective measures and repairs to roads, bridges, utilities and other public infrastructure on a cost-sharing basis. FEMA named Shawna M. Jepson as the Federal Coordinating Officer for the recovery operation, while the Oregon Department of Emergency Management and FEMA are working with local jurisdictions to document damage and move the public assistance process forward.

That process matters in places like Union County, where storm damage often shows up in the infrastructure residents rely on every day, not in a single headline event. A washed-out culvert, a damaged county road or a utility corridor knocked out by wind can delay school buses, farm traffic and supply runs. Federal reimbursement can ease the hit to county budgets, which in turn can speed up repairs that keep a ranch, a small business or a rural household connected to town services and power.

State officials said the storms caused more than $15.4 million in eligible damages across the affected counties. Tillamook County had the highest per-capita damage at $154.29 per person, more than 300,000 Oregonians lost power at the peak, and one person died in Yamhill County. Oregon also asked for statewide access to FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, but that request remains under review.

The storm’s reach underscored how far the damage spread beyond the coast and Willamette Valley. Oregon Department of Emergency Management said 73% of long-running SNOTEL sites recorded their highest or second-highest seven-day precipitation totals on record during the Dec. 15 to Dec. 21 stretch, a sign that the recovery work now reaching Union County will shape both immediate repairs and future flood and wind resilience.