The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low humidity for the Cascade foothills from Sunday afternoon through Monday night. An Excessive Heat Warning for the South Willamette Valley and Cascade foothills has also been issued for Sunday through Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees.
Those conditions combined mean an increased risk of fire danger and heat-related medical issues, prompting area agencies to take precautions and provide resources for area residents.
The Eugene Water and Electric Board wants customers to know that they may take measures, including a Public Safety Power Shutoff, immediately turning off power in high risk areas to help prevent wildfires.
EWEB says if they enact a PSPS, they will attempt to provide a 24-hour notice to impacted customers. They do note, however, that weather events and wildfire situations can be dynamic, so advance notice may not always be possible.
If you live in EWEB’s high-risk zone, which includes the McKenzie Valley and South Hills with steeper terrain and dense vegetation, they say now is the time to prepare for the possibility of an outage.
With high temperatures in Lane County forecast to reach triple digits next week, Lane County Public Health is reminding all residents to be aware of the signs of heat-related illness and to stay safe by staying cool.
“Typically we talk about risk to our most vulnerable community members and those that have to work outside as temperatures start to get into the 90s, but with an extended heat event like this, everyone in our communities across Lane County should proceed with caution and review the signs, symptoms, and how to prevent heat related illness,” said Lane County Senior Public Health Officer, Dr. Patrick Luedtke.
Additional cooling centers have been made available, including Department of Human Services locations in Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove, and Florence. Lane County will be updating a list of heat-related resources and area cooling centers over the weekend and into next week.
LCPH says those at greatest risk for heat-related illness include young children, adults 65 and older, athletes, and people with chronic illness or who are overweight, work outdoors, or have a low income.
In Douglas County, Roseburg's Senior Center will open the building as a cooling center at 1614 S.E. Stephens St. from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, through Thursday, Aug. 17.
Lane Transit District will offer community members a free bus ride to and from the closest stop to the nearest designated cooling center.
Passengers will need to inform the bus operator that they are going to a cooling
center so they are not charged a fare. All other passengers will need to pay fares to travel to and from their desired destinations.
The Oregon Health Authority is encouraging residents to learn the signs of heat-related illness. Cooling centers from across the state can be found at 211info.org. Once there, search for “extreme heat cooling centers” in your area.
Smoke from the Bedrock Fire has prompted the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency to issue an Air Quality Advisory for Deschutes County and eastern Lane County. The agencies expect the advisory to last through at least Sunday.
DEQ also expects intermittent smoke in northern Klamath and Lake counties.
Smoke levels can change rapidly depending on weather. Current conditions can be found on the Oregon Smoke Information Blog, DEQ’s Air Quality Index, or by downloading the free OregonAIR app.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal is pre-positioning two structural task forces in Lane County starting Saturday afternoon.
The OSFM says they are strategically positioning these firefighters and equipment in the Willamette Valley. The two task forces from Clatsop and Tillamook counties will be in place for 72 hours, though their time may be extended up to two weeks if needed.
“We are very concerned with the weather forecast over the coming week, and are being strategic with our resources,” said Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “We are taking a proactive step by pre-positioning these task forces to be ready for any fire that may spark. We also continue to evaluate our resource levels to ensure we are ready to respond to any fire across the state.”
Pre-positioning resources is one of the tools the OSFM has as part of its Response Ready Oregon initiative. These resources are meant to boost initial fire attack and allow a quicker response to emerging fires in Oregon.
With Oregon in the heart of wildfire season, the OSFM encourages all Oregonians to be aware of the dry conditions and take necessary precautions to avoid sparking a human-caused fire. The OSFM asks all Oregonians to be vigilant, and if they spot a fire, report it immediately.
