Floods damaged over 100 homes in Lane County

Friday, January 27th, 2012, 4:21pm

EUGENE, Ore. - More than 100 homes suffered damage in last week's floods, prompting the county to declare an emergency.

Reports have already come in from Cheshire, Deadwood, Cottage Grove, Florence, Eugene, Mapleton, Junction City, Springfield, Veneta, Vida, Swisshome and West Lake, the county said.

Early damage assessments found more than $900,000 in damage to public inrastructure.

Lane County continues to work to tally damages and encourages community members and business owners to continue to report initial damages. You can report damages online at www.lanecounty.org/damages or call the Sheriff’s Office Phone Bank at 541-682-3977
Noon – 8 p.m., each day through Sunday, January 29.

The Lane County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to adopt an order for Emergency Declaration in Lane County.

This 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Pete Sorenson absent, came early Friday afternoon.

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Sweets for Treats on Feb. 11

Submitted by KVAL Communities Staff

Friday, January 27th, 2012, 3:46pm

Come join the Brownsville merchants for Sweets Treats on the Street on Feb. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m.

It’s an all chocolate dessert and drink event, where participants wander from merchant to merchant, indulging in all things chocolate.

Purchase a ticket at Brownsville Video & Spirits (130 Spaulding Ave), for $10 and get entered into a drawing for a Valentine’s Day basket for two.

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Residents keep wary eye on Long Tom River

Submitted by KVAL News

Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 8:04am

CHESHIRE, Ore. - With a break in the storms, water levels are slowly dropping along many Oregon rivers.

However, the Long Tom River will remain high because of a delicate balancing act between protecting homes now and preventing big floods in the future.

There's really no sense of panic, just concern among the folks who live along the Long Tom River in western Oregon. They've been down this road before.

Driveways and farm fields have standing water in the Monroe and Cheshire areas, thanks to the swollen Long Tom and water from Fern Ridge Lake.

The Army Corps of Engineers has cranked open the dam's gates.

"So you want to be able to release water, gain back storage, so that at some point you're not having to release even more water to avoid filling the dam," said Deputy Operations Project Manager Dustin Bengtson of the Corps of Engineers.

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Hwy 36 now closed to all traffic between Mapleton, Triangle Lake

Submitted by KVAL Communities Staff

Thursday, January 19th, 2012, 12:31pm

From transit officials

Highway 36 is now closed to all traffic between Mapleton and Triangle Lake in Lane County. High water in the Mapleton area has made the highway impassible. No vehicles, including local traffic, will be allowed through the Mapleton closure.

An earlier landslide created a closure at milepost 23, near Triangle Lake.

That closure is also still in effect. Only the section of OR 36 between Triangle Lake and the intersection with OR 99 is open.

>>> Latest road closures

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Landslide closes Hwy 36

Submitted by KVAL Communities Staff

Thursday, January 19th, 2012, 10:32am

A landslide closed Oregon Highway 36 near Triangle Lake. State transit officials said local traffic only will be allowed between Mapleton and Triangle Lake on Hwy 36.

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Harrisburg schools on 2-hour delay

Submitted by KVAL Communities Staff

Thursday, January 19th, 2012, 7:16am

Harrisburg schools planned to open with a 2 hour delay Thursday.

>>> More School Closures and Delays

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Trucker winds up in creek after windshield wipers fail

Submitted by KVAL News

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012, 5:08pm

JUNCTION CITY, Ore. - A semi truck hit a power pole and landed in a creek after the driver said her windshield wipers failed Wednesday morning on Highway 99 north of Junction City.

Emily Holt, 34, of Tillamook suffered minor injuries in the crash. She was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend by ambulance.

Holt was northbound on Hwy 99 when her windshield wipers failed around 8 a.m. Wednesday. After she lost sight of the road, the truck and double trailers went off the highway, hit a power pole and traveled the length of a football field before coming to a stop in a swollen creek.

A local tow company removed the truck from the creek while a Haz-Mat team stood by. There was no fuel spill, police said.

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