Update: Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle: Federal Disaster Relief Coming to Southern Oregon Flooding Recovery
UPDATE: Merkley, Wyden, and Hoyle have been informed that FEMA denied Governor Kotek’s Major Disaster Declaration request to provide support to eligible individuals and households in Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties through the Individual Assistance (IA) program. Additionally, FEMA denied the Oregon lawmakers’ request to make the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) available in the three counties and statewide.
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) welcome the approval of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in response to devastating flooding and other damaging weather-related events that severely impacted Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties in March.
The wide-ranging weather between March 13 and March 20, 2025 triggered several incidents from the South Coast to Eastern Oregon, as warm rains led to rapid snowmelt that contributed to severe runoff and erosion. Three rivers reached major flood levels, and wind gusts of over 45 miles per hour caused power outages and blocked roads.
To help impacted communities recover from this disaster, the Oregon lawmakers wrote a letter to the White House in support of the Governor’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration. President Trump granted her request for Public Assistance (PA) for Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties.
“The impacts the severe flooding had on both the physical and social infrastructure in Southern Oregon have been devastating,” said the Oregon lawmakers. “We are grateful the President saw the urgency and immense need of the Governor’s request for federal aid for Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties. This assistance we supported is critical to ensure state, local, and Tribal governments have federal resources needed to help Oregonians recover from this destructive natural disaster.”
The Major Disaster Declaration in PA approved for Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties now unlocks federal funding from FEMA for state, Tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis to address damages sustained from flooding, landslides, mudslides, and other impacts during the storms.
The Oregon lawmakers’ request for FEMA to provide support to eligible individuals and households in Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties through the Individual Assistance (IA) program remains under review. Additionally, the White House is still weighing the Oregon lawmakers’ request to make the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) available to help communities in the three countries rebuild in a way that mitigates future disaster losses.
While the PA request was approved by the President for the flooding in Southern Oregon, the Major Disaster Declaration request pushed by Merkley and Wyden to provide relief for Harney County’s recovery from the historic flooding it sustained was denied for funding through PA, IA, and HMGP. This comes after FEMA concluded the damages Harney County sustained do not meet its threshold for a Major Disaster Declaration. Merkley and Wyden deeply oppose FEMA’s decision to deny federal assistance for Harney County, as the funding would have been a critical lifeline to aid the State of Oregon’s ongoing efforts to repair damages from the devastating flooding and get families in Harney County, the City of Burns, and the Burns Paiute Tribe back on their feet.
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