The Springfield School district declared an emergency because of the January ice storm which caused down trees and power outages throughout the district.
Brian Richardson / Springfield Public Schools
Cities and counties across Oregon sustained millions of dollars in damage during the January ice storm, but help is on the way.
Over the weekend, President Joe Biden approved FEMA assistance for 11 Oregon counties, including Lane, Lincoln, Benton and Multnomah counties. The Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians will also receive assistance.
The storm covered much of western Oregon in a thick layer of ice for several days, making travel unsafe, shattering trees and downing power lines. More than 240,000 utility customers lost power, some for nearly two weeks.
Gov. Tina Kotek’s office estimates that local governments sustained at least $48 million in damages statewide.
Tiffany Brown, Lane County’s emergency manager, said preliminary numbers show the bulk of the damage occurred in Lane County.
“Between the governmental agencies and utilities in Lane County, we’ve reported and had validated $32 million dollars in damages,” she said. “The way the presidential declaration typically works is that we will be reimbursed 75% of those costs.”
Utilities so far account for about 86% of Lane County’s estimated total damage. Brown said that estimate, as well as the dollar amount the region receives may change as emergency managers and FEMA do one final analysis.
Brown said the presidential declaration only applies to losses sustained by governments and utilities, not individual homes or businesses.
“The money in the public assistance program goes to repair the damages that occurred during the storm,” she said. “It also goes to reimburse agencies for debris and removal costs.”
Brown said areas identified in the process may also be eligible for programs to make them more resilient against future disasters.