Oregon communities brace for mudslides, falling trees, after wildfires
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MARION COUNTY, OR (KPTV) — With wet weather in the forecast, officials are warning communities to be on the lookout for downed trees and mudslides.
Areas that could be seriously impacted include cities like Mill City and Gates, where much of the towns have been destroyed by wildfires.
“Total devastation everywhere,” Tammy Sanchez, who lives in Gates, said.
Homeowners in these cities have already lost so much, and now, those who have been able to return are being told to prepare again. This time, they’re being told to get ready for another type of hazardous weather.
“Trees falling and mainly mud coming down the hillside because there’s no vegetation to hold it down,” said one homeowner.
That homeowner didn’t want to be identified, but his home is still standing in the town of Gates, which he says is very lucky.
“This is probably one of the worst wildfires I’ve ever seen rip through Oregon,” the homeowner said.
But right behind his house is a scorched hillside. He knows that now a mudslide threatens everything.
“That’s our biggest concern right now,” he said.
The sheriff’s office says people need to be paying attention to what happens around them Wednesday night and listen to alerts from local authorities.
“We want people to be safe,” Sgt. Jeremy Landers with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. “We want people to make good decisions that are not going to compromise their safety. We want as many people to get through this without being hurt or injured as possible.”
Landers says it’s important that people have a plan in place in case the weather becomes dangerous.
“We’re really concerned about as those high winds pick up, some of those coming down and creating more hazards along the roadway, more than we would see in a typical windstorm,” Landers said.
The homeowner FOX 12 talked to said there’s not much he can do to stop a mudslide or a tree from falling and destroying his home, but he is preparing for whatever comes next.
“If it happens, it happens,” the homeowner said. “If it don’t, thank God. But, right now, just prepare, and if you got to run, you got to run.”
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says this will be a big concern Wednesday night with so much burned land in the county.
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