The outpouring of support for Oregon wildfire victims was strong following September’s destruction. But some fear awareness is waning, just as winter nears.
Tim Laue is president of the McKenzie River Development Corporation. Standing in the ruins of the town of Blue River, he says while support was strong after the Holiday Farm Fire burned through this summer, it’s now in the waning part of a “honeymoon” period.
“Where everybody feels like they’re getting attention, you’re on CNN, you’re on NPR, and then everybody kinda goes away, and the mood for the communities and the individuals…craters," he told KLCC.
"So part of what we are trying to do is keep enough things going on that’re noticeable in the community and from the community, so people still feel support with what’s still going to be a hard winter for all of us.”
Laue says so far, his organization has received $200,000 in donations, and is working with EWEB and Lane County on relief efforts. But the winter will bring power outages and possible mudslides given the heavy rains.
Copyright 2020, KLCC.
