During a special Benton County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, the commissioners unanimously voted to declare a county emergency due to the wildfires. The state of emergency does not have an end date because it is not known when conditions will return to normal.
With the declaration, Benton County can access state and federal resources if the emergency response exceeds local capacity. This will help the County to continue to provide mutual aid to neighboring communities, and to recuperate costs incurred during emergency response efforts.
Corvallis City Manager Mark Shepard also declared a local emergency for the City, as it gathers resources to assist with the wildfires affecting the mid-valley area. With the announcement, the City can also request additional resources if the response exceeds local capacity.
