County continues cleanup and aid after flooding event

(Douglas County, Ore.) – The Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Emergency Management Department and the Douglas County Public Works Department

are still all-hands-on-deck in response to the severe winter storm that hit Douglas County on Sunday, March 16.   The heavy rains triggered major flooding, mudslides, and the collapse of roads throughout the county.  Our team in collaboration with local cities, tribal government, regional agencies, and private contractors continues to monitor, triage, and respond to ongoing issues related to the flood event throughout the county.  Even though the sun is out, and water is receding, we are still in response mode, as we continue to deploy crews to new slides, down trees, and debris cleanup efforts all over the county. 

The Douglas County Commissioners and Douglas County Emergency Management Department have teamed up with the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) to provide resources and information to Douglas County residents via the 2-1-1 Info Line.  The 211info is a free phone line that assists Oregon and Southwest Washington communities by helping people identify, navigate, and connect with the local resources they need.  If you have questions about insurance, flood damage, resources, or housing, Douglas County residents are asked to call 2-1-1.  For non-flood questions that can wait, please email your questions and concerns to douglasalerts@douglascountyor.gov and for life-safety emergencies always call 9-1-1.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners Declared a State of Emergency on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at 10:15 am for the entire county due to the ”extreme conditions related to the severe winter storm that impacted our county causing extreme peril to the safety or person and/or the protection of property.”  Douglas County Government has valuable on-call contracts in place with private local contractors* for the purpose of providing much needed extra capacity during emergencies.  From the minute the emergency was declared at 10:15 Sunday morning, our Douglas County Public Works Director, Scott Adams, and his team were authorized to start deploying over two dozen local contractors to work with our County Public Works crews, and help with clean up, clearing, and repair on Douglas County maintained roads.  As many of you know, with increased budget cuts due to the lack of timber receipts we have had to downsize our County Public Works Department, which reduced our capacity to respond during major events.  However, the ability to quickly activate these private contractors with prearranged emergency on-call contracts allows us to respond to widespread incidents all over the county in a timely manner with an immediate goal of getting all county-maintained roads open as soon as possible.  *Private local contractors with the county can include trucking, excavation, and logging companies, as well as road crews, aggregate suppliers, and heavy equipment operators.   To Read the declaration visit www.douglascountyor.gov.

This storm did not discriminate between man-scaped areas and natural vegetation areas, as we are experiencing mudslides and erosion in all areas,

terrains and valleys across Douglas County.  Our Douglas County Public Works Department and our private local contractors have worked continuously for the last 50+ hours on a quest to get all county-maintained roads operational and open with at least one-lane of travel access.  We are excited to report that their swift efforts have paid off and all county-maintained roads have reopened to at least one lane of traffic.  One slide, at the 2700 block of Hubbard Creek Road in Umpqua completely washed out about 35 feet and both lanes of the road on Sunday afternoon.  Douglas County Public Works was alerted to the incident at 3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon and was able to mobilize County crews and local contractors, who worked non-stop through the night and were able to open one lane to traffic early Monday morning.  This amazing feat was accomplished in about 16 hours.  Crews filled the gaping hole with large boulders, added a new culvert and laid asphalt while they simultaneously used pipes to divert water continuing to drain from the mountain side.  During this they also worked with the power company to install new power poles and restring power lines that had floated into the raging river.   For an interactive map of slides affecting county-operated roads visit: https://douglascountyor.gov/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=MARCH-2025-FLOOD-EVENT-INFORMATION-27. 

One of the biggest stories during this weather event was at Galesville Dam.  While most people think of the Galesville Dam as a conduit for irrigation in southern Douglas County, this time it acted as a major flood control device saving the communities of Glendale, Riddle, Myrtle Creek and Winston from even greater flooding and additional carnage.  During the height of the floodwaters the dam reached near maximum capacity, but under the guidance of Commissioner Tom Kress, the Douglas County Public Works – Natural Resources Division staff employed an ingenious strategic approach to the measured storage and release of water from the dam into Cow Creek.  This approach avoided an uncontrolled, catastrophic spillover of the dam,  while keeping the release of water at the highest level possible without contributing to additional flooding down steam.   

The National Weather Service continues to monitor our area for weather related issues.  Although water levels have decreased in most parts of the county, many areas are still experiencing the impact of flooding, including high water, road closures, detours, mudslides, debris, downed trees, falling rocks, and damaged roadways.  Please be aware that some areas may continue to experience elevated water levels for an undetermined period of time and there is an increased risk of mudslides and falling rocks in areas with steep terrain.  Water levels are expected to continue to fluctuate as the National Weather Service is predicting another storm front approaching our area on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.  For more information and to follow weather advisories, please visit: https://www.weather.gov/mfr/.

We continue to urge motorists to proceed and exercise extreme caution and prioritize safety while driving throughout Douglas County and beyond.  If you are traveling through impacted areas, please be patient and expect delays or detours due to heavy equipment, work crews, flaggers and posted closure signs.  Please make sure to check road conditions before you travel at https://tripcheck.com/.   For additional flood information, visit Oregon Department of Emergency Management’s Flood Dashboard at https://tinyurl.com/aa6z9rrt.   Stay vigilant when traveling and remember 1) Floodwaters are extremely dangerous. 2) Turn around, don’t drown! 3)  Do not drive around barricades or through flooded roads. 4) Be extra careful at night when it’s harder to discern high water and mudslide dangers.

Currently the American Red Cross has no emergency shelters open in Douglas County, but is in stand-by mode to activate if needed.  Should you have shelter needs or need information about shelter options, please call 1-800-Red-Cross (1-800-733-2767).  Residents who feel it is unsafe to remain in their homes should not wait and should relocate with family/friends outside of the affected area.  If you know of any elderly or vulnerable neighbors that might need assistance with food, supplies, or utilities, we encourage you to go check on and help them.

Douglas County Commissioners Tim Freeman, Tom Kress, and Chris Boice will continue to provide leadership, monitor conditions, issue updates, offer access to resources, and work diligently with local and state partners on this emergency event.  Thank you for your patience and please stay safe!

Photo credit: K.Trenkle & DC Public Works

1) Douglas County 211 Info Flyer

2) 2700 Block of Hubbard Creek Road on Sunday, March 16.

3) Power Lines on the 2700 Block of Hubbard Creek Road

4) Galesville Dam, Azalea, Oregon – Tuesday, March 18