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The Chief
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
School district challenges Page A2
The Chief
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VOL. 129, NO. 19
Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Oregon wildfires: ‘Worst air quality in the world’ cardiovascular or respiratory diseases). A study published this year found that increased air pollution exposure during wildfires in British Columbia, Canada was associated with increased ambulance dispatches related to respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. Importantly, this increase was observed within only one hour of wildfire smoke exposure. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/ full/10.1289/EHP5792.
JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Oregon’s wildfires caused the state to have the worst air quality in the world over the past several days, according to Oregon health officials. Air quality advisories were posted throughout the state and in our area as a rare east wind event sent the heavy wildfire smoke into Columbia County the week of Sept. 7. The smoke lingered for several days. Health officials encouraged people to take extra precautions to avoid the poor air quality. Forecasters said rain showers by this weekend were expected to help clear the pollution. Some county businesses closed due to the poor air quality and to ensure the safety of their employees and customers. The Clatskanie Schools also ceased operations on Tuesday, Sept. 15, due to the air quality, but reopened on Wednesday, Sept. 16. For insight into the wildfire smoke health issues, The Chief contacted Associate Professor Perry Hystad, PhD, at Oregon State University School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences. The Chief: What is it specifically about the wildfire smoke that is hazardous to our health and what does it do?
The Chief: How serious to our health is such prolonged exposure to this smoke?
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief
The thick wildfire smoke drifted along along the Columbia River and inland to Clatskanie, Rainier and much of Columbia County over the past several days.
Perry Haystad: Wildfire smoke is a complete mix of particles and gases, but fine particulate matter, those particles under 2.5 microns is what we are most worried about. PM2.5 is fine particulate matter under 2.5 microns
(these are very very small particles that are easy to breathe deep into the lungs.) While larger particles are easy to notice (think eye and throat irritation), it is the fine particulates that are most dangerous as they can reach deep into the lungs to
cause systematic inflammation and even cross into the bloodstream. Exposure to wildfire smoke can cause serious health impacts, especially for those most susceptible (elderly, pregnant women, individuals with pre-existing
Haystad: There is strong evidence linking both short-term air pollution exposures (daily exposure) to triggering of health effects, as well as long-term air pollution exposures (years to decades) and the development of disease. What is unknown is what weekly periods of exposure to these very high air pollution levels will mean for the development and progression of diseases in the future. We recently published a global study examining long-term PM2.5 air pollution exposure and cardiovascular disease risk. This analysis included participants residing in very high air pollution
See AIR QUALITY Page A4
Fairgrounds shelters evacuees CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Wildfires around Oregon have prompted hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate from their homes and travel to safer locations. The Columbia County Fairgrounds, located at 58892 Saulser Rd. in St. Helens, which had been serving as a shelter for farm animals, now shelters people as well. Glenda Irwin and her family, including husband, son, two dogs, and farm animals, were some of those people. However, Irwin said, the Columbia County Fairgrounds is the second location they had to evacuate to. At first, the family headed to Canby, before it, too, was evacuated. It was around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8 that Irwin, from Molalla, Oregon knew she and her family, along with their farm animals, had to evacuate their home. Irwin got the evacuation signal on her phone, similar to how Amber Alerts are sent. “We looked at it and it said Level 3, go now,” Irwin said. There are three different levels for those facing evacuation in Oregon. Level 1 means residents should “be ready” for a potential evacuation, monitor local media for further information and start to gather personal items. Level 2 means residents should “be set” to
Police Blotters.....A3 Clatskanie Grows A3 Opinions...............A4 Market Place........A5 Public Notices......A5
Christine Menges / The Chief
These tents were set up at the Columbia County Fairgrounds in St. Helens for people forced to evacuate their homes from regional wildfires.
evacuate and can choose to voluntarily evacuate at this point. Level 3 means residents must leave immediately and must not delay evacuating in order to gather personal items or protect their home. Irwin said it was no time at all before they went from Level 1 to Level 3. Irwin said her husband had messaged her at work to say that they were at Level 1 and thought they were still at Level 1 when she got home. “I have pictures on my phone of what it looked like going towards my house and the sky was just so red. It was bad,” Irwin said.
The family had very little time to gather personal belongings. Irwin said they were throwing things haphazardly into the car, like the family’s file cabinet and clothes in a laundry basket. This all happened in 10 minutes, Irwin said. With some help from Cowgirl 911, an Oregon animal evacuation and assistance group, Irwin was able to get her horses and sheep out of danger and bring them with her to Canby. Unfortunately, she had to leave some chickens and turkeys behind. Irwin still has no idea what has happened to them, or her house. “We’re still looking at our
phones, trying to see what’s up there. We have friends that go up there every now and then,” Irwin said, but they haven’t heard from those friends in a while. When the city of Canby went up to Level 2, Irwin was able to call someone to help her transport her farm animals to the Columbia County Fairgrounds the night of Thursday, Sept. 10. She and her family, three pet dogs and farm animals have been at the fairgrounds for a full day. Irwin said the whole incident has been hard on her. “I’m emotional,” she said. “I
broke down a few times.” However, she said the assistance she has gotten from the community so far has been a big help. “Everybody around here has been helping. This community is great,” Irwin said. That help has come in the form of many donations, both cash and material, which had filled the Columbia County Fairgrounds Pavilion the day of Friday, Sept. 11. From non-perishable food, to water bottles, to blankets, to pillows, to sleeping bags, to diapers, to clothing, to kids’ toys, nearly everything was available to help those in need. Taylor Fitzgerald, Special Event Coordinator for the Columbia County Fairgrounds, is one of the people coordinating the donations. Fitzgerald said donations started coming in Tuesday night, Sept. 8. “We got the okay to go ahead and open up our fairgrounds. And within 24 hours we were getting lots of animals, and people donating, and we’ve got thousands of dollars from people willing to donate, to help out the situation and lots and lots of clothes and food,” Fitzgerald said. In order to get the word out about needing donations, Fitzgerald said the fairgrounds posted on social media, such as on the Facebook page, Concerned Citizens of Colum-
See FAIRGROUNDS Page A5
State begins recovery in wildfire aftermath MAX KIRKENDALL newsguardeditor@countrymedia.net
After several days of firefighting efforts across the state of Oregon, Governor Kate Brown said Oregonians have been pushed to their limits. “It’s really hard for all of us to wrap our heads around the devastation that these fires have caused and the pain and the suffering that so many Oregonians endured over the past few days,” Brown said during a Monday, Sept. 14 press conference. So far, the Oregon State Medical Examiner has reported eight fire related fatalities and 12 missing persons. Those statistics will continue to be updated daily. But on a positive note, Brown said fire crews are feeling optimistic with the current forecasted weather, which should provide help to their efforts as temperatures drop and winds subside. Additionally, calls for assistance are being answered and resource crews from all over the country
and Canada have been coming to help. “We expect structural firefighting teams from North Dakota and Michigan to join our response this week,” Brown noted. “Michigan, California and Washington are providing resources to our emergency coordination center. Vermont and Nevada have reached out asking how they can help.” Also, FEMA, is also on the grounds of Oregon assisting with response. Gov. Brown said she recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking to declare a State of Disaster in Oregon, which will free up even more resources for state officials. Oregon is also working with the National Guard to distribute 250,000 N95 masks to agricultural workers and impacted tribes statewide as soon as possible. The masks will provide a certain level of protection to outdoor workers across the state. “The smoke blanketing the state is a reminder that this tragedy has not yet come to an end,”
Courtesy photo
A helicopter maneuvers in to drop water in the area of one of Oregon’s wildfires.
Brown said. Brown is encouraging everyone to donate to Red Cross and the Oregon Food Bank for victims of these wildfires. To assist recovery efforts, the state is asking three foundations: Ford Family, Meyer Memorial Trust, and the Oregon
Community Foundation, to help in the recovery efforts by kickstarting the 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund. Other organizations will also be encouraged to donate.
See WILDFIRE Page A2