While it’s been 16 months since the historic Labor Day fires burned through Oregon, many lingering and often troubling effects have been shared by residents.
Evacuees from the Santiam Fire gathered at the state fairgrounds in Salem on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, where county officials and the American Red Cross established an aid center.
Arya Surowidjojo
80 people responded to an Oregon State University survey that focused on the Santiam Canyon area where 700 people lost homes, but only 13% have since moved into permanent housing.
Marc Braverman is the principal investigator for the report.
“The impact with regard to mental health was the greatest,” he told KLCC. “It was the most frequently mentioned and it took many forms: depression, anxiety, people were displaced.”
“There need to be more mental health providers in Santiam County region. The hospital there and the providers that are there are just completely overworked. So if it were possible, state or county agencies to provide more support in that regard, it would be extremely beneficial.”
Braverman added many respondents are also worried about toxins that may have been left in the wildfires’ wake, and suggested more could be done to detect and remove hazardous materials from the sites of destroyed buildings.
Braverman said streamlining the rebuilding process for destroyed homes would also be important.
Among the other long-term findings were residents reporting breathing problems. Before the 2020 wildfires, 28% said they experienced issues. That number jumped to 55% after the fires.
The OSU study focused on Santiam Canyon because Marion County had community development block grant funding.
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