President Trump approves major disaster declaration for Oregon

(Update: Adding Gov. Kate Brown, Rep. Greg Walden reaction)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for Oregon due to the coronavirus outbreak, the White House announced Sunday.

The declaration orders federal assistance to aid state, tribal and local recovery efforts. The order is back-dated to Jan. 20 and brings to 18 the number of states with disaster declarations due to the coronavirus.

Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency on March 8. On March 23, she issued an executive order directing residents to stay home to the maximum extent possible and ordered the closure of retail businesses where close personal contact is difficult to avoid, such as hair salons, gyms and theaters.

Gov. Brown issued this news release on the announcement:

Governor Kate Brown Statement on Federal Disaster Declaration for Oregon

(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today issued the following statement on the White House’s disaster declaration for Oregon:

“This declaration is an important first step towards unlocking all available federal resources for Oregon’s state, tribal, and local response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I appreciate the responsiveness of Vice President Pence and federal administration officials to our requests for aid.

“However, this is far from everything Oregon needs from the federal government to actively and effectively combat this crisis. We have a number of significant requests pending with the federal government, first and foremost Oregon’s request for more personal protective equipment from the national stockpile.

"In addition, a significant part of our disaster declaration request was for individual assistance for all Oregon counties and tribes—including child care assistance, crisis counseling, disaster case management, disaster legal services, and disaster unemployment assistance for Oregonians. That request is still also pending, and would provide significant relief to Oregon families if approved.

“This is an unprecedented public health crisis that demands a coordinated national response, backed by the full resources of the federal government. I will continue to work with the White House and Oregon’s congressional delegation to fight for access to every tool available to keep Oregonians safe from COVID-19.”

Today's Major Disaster Declaration by President Trump for the State of Oregon, retroactive to January 20, 2020, allows for the activation of FEMA’s Public Assistance program for reimbursements of emergency actions taken by state, territorial, tribal, and local government entities, as well as certain non-profit organizations.

Organizations eligible for recovery efforts on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures include, but are not limited to:

• Management, control and reduction of immediate threats to public health and safety;
• Emergency operation and coordination costs;
• Disinfection of eligible public facilities;
• Medical sheltering;
• Purchase and distribution of food, water, medicine and other consumable supplies, including Personal Protective Equipment.

Oregon’s original request to the federal government for a disaster declaration is available here.

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., provided this video reaction to the disaster declaration:

In other news, iconic Portland bookstore Powell’s has re-hired some of its employees to fill an increase in online orders. Owner and CEO Emily Powell thanked the community for its support.

“Your kind words, messages of encouragement, ideas for perseverance, and orders for books have taken our breath away,” she said in a statement.

The company laid off nearly 400 people on March 17 and shut all five of its bookstores. Powell said they have been able to re-hire more than 100 employees, with full-time hours and benefits.

Also on Sunday, the Oregon Health Authority said the state had 548 people test positive for COVID-19, up from 479 on Saturday. The total of 13 deaths remained the same.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in several weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.