State sends team to help respond to Pendleton-area flooding
The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal has mobilized an incident management team to support ongoing coordinated efforts in response to flooding in the Pendleton area.
Tom Williams of Portland Fire & Rescue is the incident commander.
The OSFM late Saturday received a request from the Oregon Emergency Response System to send the IMT to the Umatilla County Emergency Operations Center to unify with the City of Pendleton, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Umatilla County Sheriff Office and assist with responses to flooding issues.
The OSFM’s “Green team” arrived in Pendleton for a briefing at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The OSFM IMT will support efforts to address sewer back up and health concerns, public safety and evacuations issues if needed.
The U.S. National Weather Service issued a flood warning on Friday for northwest Umatilla County, specifically southwest Pendleton, along McKay Creek. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation increased flows out of McKay Creek Reservoir to accommodate possible future precipitation or other circumstances such as continued wet weather conditions.
Umatilla County has activated a Type 3 Command Team, and the Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter at the Pendleton Convention Center.
For real-time McKay Creek flow information from McKay Dam, check https://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/rtgraph.html?list=mcko%20q&daily=mcko%20qd. Also follow updates from the City of Pendleton at https://pendleton.or.us/.
The OFSM runs three IMTs that provide comprehensive incident command to manage ongoing emergency operations. Teams respond with resources mobilized by the governor for a conflagration or other emergencies that exceed the control and resources of local emergency responders.
The IMTs provide enhanced coordination among responding agencies during incidents such as floods, fires, earthquakes, structural collapse, tsunamis, the spilling of hazardous materials, and other natural or human-caused incidents.
