Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency Saturday for the Willamette Valley area due to “severe winter weather.” Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in the region.
The declaration applies to the following counties: Benton, Clackamas, Hood River, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Washington, and Yamhill Counties
“The weather that set in yesterday and continued overnight has left extensive damage with hundreds of thousands of Oregonians without power,” said Brown in a statement on the emergency order. “Because of windstorms, utility crews were not able to safely start work on restoring power until this morning. Crews are out in full force now and are coordinating with local emergency response teams on communications for emergency services, such as warming centers. I’m committed to making state resources available to ensure crews have the resources they need on the ground.”
