Cleanup Update
The Debris Management Task Force’s cleanup efforts continue across the state. For the Holiday Farm Fire, cleanup has been completed on 264 of the 285 of the properties that opted into the State’s program.
The numbers below were accurate as of October 20. You can view the live map at https://maguire.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/cc1c9d4729834dd98469536b4de6566f.
Secretary of State released audit of cleanup efforts
Oregon Secretary of State (SOS) Shemia Fagan released an advisory report that found the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) appears to be doing well managing the hazardous tree removal cleanup from the 2020 wildfires.
Auditors also found that ODOT took measures to conserve trees as it maintains public safety along roads and highways. Rather than using standard FEMA guidelines, ODOT used a more conservative metric suited for wildfire-damaged trees, which reduces the number of trees removed. They also quickly coordinated with agencies, federally recognized tribes, and other stakeholders to create an Environmental Protection Plan to minimize impacts to critical cultural resources and uncovered new culturally important sites not previously known. This was key to respecting the ancestral homelands of federally recognized tribes and the shared history of Oregon lands.
According to a statement from the SOS, this unprecedented emergency incident also means the state could learn from the experience to be better prepared for future disasters.
Read the full statement from the SOS here.
Read the full audit report here.
