EOC goals:

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Do the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. 

Address unmet community needs.

Offer new hands and more help when emergency services are overwhelmed.

Collaborate and coordinate.

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Hood River County Public Health remains the lead agency

for COVID emergency response locally for our health and

social service system.

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Hood River County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Management

activated the Hood River County EOC (Emergency Operations Center) as needed when emergency services are overwhelmed in disasters and large scale emergencies.

 

Hood River activated its EOC full time March 12 through August 10, 2020, to leverage and support our vital partnership of agencies. Since August 11, we are monitoring, on standby to help with COVID and wildfires.

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​This proactive, collaborative regional EOC emergency response continues with Hood River County departments, our two Cities, two Ports, and network of health, law enforcement, Fire and EMS, 

social service agencies, public information officers and other partners, all working together

in the EOC to help keep our community safe, share resources, address unmet needs and plan

for contingencies. 

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WHERE ARE WE NOW?

WILDFIRE SEASON AND COVID

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For the latest news updates and

disaster preparedness,

please visit our 

READY FOR FIRES and about covid pages.

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The County EOC is now monitoring changing community needs, in Standby activation mode, to help as needed with COVID while refocusing on all-hazards disaster planning for Hood River County.

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Hood River County Emergency Management is a one-person staff. But our EOC remains fully staffed when activated.

The County offers special thanks to the dedicated EOC volunteers and partner staffs that donated roughly 1,000 hours per month over the last five months!

 

We also celebrate the ongoing dedication of the Public Health Department team and

emergency responders (Fire, Law Enforcement, hospital staffs, 911, etc.) that are there for us all, every day.

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COVID and fire season Timeline

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2021: A series of preventative measures were enacted to help prevent human caused wildfires in our beautiful Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. Fireworks and campfire bans, along with other forest protection measures were adopted by Hood River County Board of Commissioners, Hood River City Council, Cascade Locks City Council, Wasco County and other local, state and federal jurisdictions.

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A statewide drought emergency was declared due to low rainfall and high temperatures.

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May:  Wildfire season started early - which is a significant change for us.

The 2021 Oregon wildfire season began in May 2021. More than 1,000 fires have burned at least 518,303 acres (209,750 ha) across the state as of July 21, 2021

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9-1-20: Hood River County EOC has been active, supporting our community through a busy wildfire season, while navigating the COVID emergency.

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8-1-20:  Just as Hood River County was closing its EOC for COVID, the Fir Mountain Fire started

in Hood River County and spread to Mosier (Wasco County.) For more information, please visit

the READY FOR FIRE page.

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8-12-20: The same day the Fir Creek Fire was 100% contained, a devastating new wildfire, Mosier Creek Fire, started next door in Wasco County. Hood River County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Management, Hood River County and Gorge fire agencies showed up to help Wasco County Sheriff's Office, Mosier Fire District and the community of Mosier serving Immediate Aid.

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                                                      Mosier Creek Fire day one 8-12-20. Photo by Barb Ayers, Hood River County

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During this time of extreme fire hazard weather in the Gorge, we have seen intermittent power outages and air quality alerts due to wildfire smoke, either of which can be the disaster within the disaster to vulnerable people, public services, critical infrastructure, tourism, agriculture and our economy.

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8-10-20:  After the first five months of the County / State / Federal declared emergency for COVID response, Hood River County has now entered a chronic pandemic phase (long term sustained response.)  Hood River Public Health Director Trish Elliott was confident enough in her department's ability to meet ongoing COVID needs, that she requested demobilization of the County EOC. Hood River County Administrator Jeff Hecksel and County Emergency Manager Barb Ayers agreed.  It was time.

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The EOC Task Forces, such as the Migrant and Seasonal Worker Task Force, Health, Community, Long Term Care and Food Insecurity Liaisons were handed off by the EOC to the Health Department for long term reocvery efforts. The Emergency Manager continues to report to the State ECC (Emergency Coordination Center) to request outside resources from the State, as needed to support our community. 

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8-3-20: Hood River County EOC is ramping down and beginning to demobilize for COVID response,

to return staff and volunteers to focus on wildfire season, Joint Information Center, public preparedness outreach and updating GetReadyGorge.com, PSPS (Pacific Power proative power shut offs in fire hazard weather,)  community disaster planning, and ongoing Emergency Management activities. 

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8-3-20: Hood River County is at Level 2 reopening but is on State's Watch list for increasing cases.

 

8-1-20: Governor Kate Brown required face coverings while in indoors statewide July 1.

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6-19-20: Governor Brown approved Hood River County's application to enter Phase 2 reopening.

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6-11-20: Hood River Board of County Commissioners applied for County Phase 2 reopening on June 5;  a week later, Governor Kate Brown announced that statewide reopening phases are on hold.​

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5-15-20: Governor approved Hood River County's Phase 1 Reopening Plan; some businesses reopen.

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After the Governor released her Reopening Framework in late April, Hood River County convened a Reopening Task Force that developed a Hood River County Reopening Plan, effective May 15. 

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5-14-20: Governor approves Hood River County Reopening Plan

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5-8-20: Hood River applies for State approval of County Reopening Plan

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3-12-20: Hood River County EOC (Emergency Operations Center) is activated full time in response

to the COVID-19 emergency.

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