Wildfires in the Northwest

Posted by Cathy Burroughs on September 15th, 2020 Posted in: Blog, Emergency Preparedness

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On September 11, FEMA announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to the state of Oregon to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts to the emergency conditions in the area affected by wildfires beginning on Sept. 8, 2020, and continuing.  Per a FEMA press release, “Many Oregonians are suffering right now, whether displaced themselves or worried about loved ones, friends, neighbors, homes, and communities,” said Governor Kate Brown. “We’re working collaboratively to throw everything we can at this crisis, bringing together local, state, and federal capacity.  We are doing everything we can to ensure that our heroic firefighters working around the clock to save lives and homes have the tools, resources, and support they need.”

In Washington state, major wildfires throughout the state remain active.  As to Idaho, though a handful of mostly small wildfires are burning, it is a relatively mild wildfire season so far in the panhandle state.

The NLM’s Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) has a comprehensive health information guide on wildfires with many resources to assist with response and recovery, including smoke inhalation, burns, safety, cleanup and recovery, and coping.

Below is a select list of information from federal, state, and local governments and organizations.

Key Pacific Northwest Resources

• Northwest Interagency Coordination Center
• Oregon Wildfire Resources
• Oregon: Social Media Toolkit with messages in in a variety of languages
• Oregon Fires and Hotspots Dashboard
• Oregon Smoke Information
• Washington Smoke Information

Key National Resources

• • Air Quality: AirNowfrom the Environmental Protection Agency (Search by Zip Code or State)
  • Fire and Smoke Map
  • Smoke Advisories
  • American Red Cross Safe and Well
  • CDC Going to a Public Disaster Shelter During the COVID-19 Pandemic/ Ir a un refugio público para desastres durante la pandemia del COVID-19
  • EPA Smoke Sense Study: A Citizen Science Project Using a Mobile App
  • Healthcare Ready
    • Healthcare Ready RX Open: helps patients find nearby open pharmacies in areas impacted by disaster

• National Library of Medicine (NLM) Fires and Wildfires Information Guide Content syndication—embed the content of this page on your own website, to get automatic updates and new resources.
• MedlinePlus Wildfires/ Incendios forestales
• NLM Coping with Disasters, Violence and Traumatic Events
• Disaster Distress Helpline(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
  • Call 1-800-985-5990 toll-free, 24/7
  • Text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor