Union County to receive federal storm damage aid, recovery funding

Federal disaster aid now opens the door for Union County to seek reimbursement for storm debris cleanup, emergency work and repairs to damaged roads, bridges, utilities and other public facilities after the December 15-21 storms. The declaration, approved by President Donald Trump on April 10 and announced by FEMA on April 11, moved Union County from waiting on a federal decision to actually having a recovery funding path in place.

The assistance covers nine Oregon counties: Clackamas, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Polk, Tillamook, Union and Yamhill. FEMA said Public Assistance can pay for emergency protective measures and the repair or replacement of damaged public facilities, and the agency said more counties could be added later if the state requests it and damage assessments justify the change. FEMA also named Shawna M. Jepson as the Federal Coordinating Officer for recovery operations.

For Union County, the declaration matters because it turns the long-running storm request into a mechanism for paying for work that local governments could not easily absorb on their own. State officials said the December storm system brought severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides, with wind gusts topping 57 mph on December 15 and winds of 50 to 70 mph late on December 16 into December 17 as the atmospheric river intensified over saturated ground.

Oregon officials said more than 300,000 people lost power at the peak of the event, about 40 miles of power lines were damaged and 2,056 Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative customers were without power for more than two days. The joint preliminary damage assessment found more than $15.4 million in eligible damages, and Tillamook County recorded the highest per-capita impact at $154.29 per person. One fatality was reported in Yamhill County.

Gov. Tina Kotek first sought the major disaster declaration and public assistance in February, arguing that the losses and repairs exceeded $15 million and stretched rural counties beyond their limits. The Oregon Governor’s Office said the federal approval followed that request, while the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program request remains under review. That program could help fund future projects meant to reduce flood, wind and landslide risk before the next major storm hits Union County and other hard-hit parts of Oregon.

For county road departments, utility crews and public agencies across eastern Oregon, the practical question now is how fast reimbursement and repair money can move. The declaration gives Union County access to that process, and it gives local officials a federal recovery framework that was not available before.