Archive for October 2020
“Talent and Phoenix are gone Jim”
I live in Ashland and was working when the fires broke out, from my home office, as were all my employees at Project A, because of COVID and we are programmers and engineers, so working from home is easy. I first found out about the fire via a Facebook alert. Over the next several days,…
Read MoreProject A launches DonationConnection.org to help donation center managers get the word out on what they need daily.
After seeing posts from people that were looking to help by shopping for what was needed, and asking for lists of what to buy, and where to take it, and seeing posts by donation centers that were set up around the valley, and seeing emails from friends trying to help get the word out with…
Read MoreIn the wake of a natural disaster or crisis, it’s not uncommon for someone to turn to GoFundMe.
I sent an email to GoFundMe asking about donations after the fire and this is their reply. — Jim I’d like to start off by saying that our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires in southern Oregon and across the state. When the fires first broke out, the GoFundMe Trust & Safety Team…
Read MoreProject A launches SoHelps.org after fire to fill a need for person to person support.
On September 15th, Paul Steele from Project A quietly launched a new service he calls SOHelps.org. Southern Oregon Helps is a direct person-to-person exchange website for those in the Rogue Valley, including Ashland, Talent, Phoenix and Medford Oregon during emergencies. No intermediary is involved. Create an Account, then post what you need or what you can provide for others,…
Read More“Mommy, are we going to die today?”
Heidi Lee Harless used to work for me many years ago. We are still friends and I’m proud of the work she does in our community. She wrote this post on FB on 9/14 and I cried when I read it. I got her permission to share it here and include some of the photos…
Read MoreWildfires in Oregon: Businesses and Jobs in Evacuation Zones
Over the past several days, we’ve watched in collective fear and sadness as more than 1 million acres of our beautiful state have gone up in flames. While in recent history most wildfires have been isolated to wilderness areas, the 16 fires burning across Oregon as of September 11, 2020 are destroying homes and businesses…
Read MoreMy Valley My Home/Mi Valle Mi Hogar
Rebuilding after the Almeda Fire Rogue Valley Homes and Shelter Relief (RVHSR) initiative Executive Summary Our goal Support the populations most devastated by the destruction of homes during the Almeda Fire, especially those for whom racial and socio-economic inequities were pre-existing – such as migrant, worker, indigenous and unhoused community members. Specifically: Provide assistance with…
Read MoreJackson County EOC Fire Update – Sept. 25, 2020
Resource and Recovery MARC – The MARC, the Multi-Agency Resource Center, opened on Thursday and got off to a great start. We have served several hundred impacted citizens thus far. This one-stop shop for resources includes FEMA representatives, Insurance Providers, Red Cross, Cities and others and is located at Central High School at 815 S. Oakdale…
Read MoreIn the next 12 months, Rogue Food Unites plans to serve 1,281,000 meals to community members impacted by the fires
Southern Oregon is in the midst of a crisis bore from fire. The Almeda/Glenview Fire burned over 2,400 homes leaving more than 4000 people suddenly homeless and 42,000 displaced. Rogue Food Unites and our community of restaurants and food growers is responding. Rogue Food Unites collaborates with food businesses, farms, and local aid organizations to…
Read MoreFire Damage Assessment Dashboard Now Available Online
Damage Assessment information from the Almeda and Obenchain fires can now be explored via an online data dashboard, available via the Jackson County website at: www.jacksoncounty.org/damagedashboard. This interactive mapping tool will allow anyone with internet access to quickly locate and view the extent of damage to individual properties. Making this information available online will safeguard health…
Read MoreInfostructure offices burn down, but business was not impacted and now they want to rebuild + housing.
Jeff Rhoden, co-owner of Infostructure, a phone company based in Talent, Oregon ordered the evacuation of his office once he saw the plume of smoke in Ashland, where he lives, just to be safe. He wanted to make sure his tech team could get out safely, and he told everyone not to worry about grabbing…
Read MoreOregon Wildfire Smoke “Boiling” across state
At about 5:30 pm, on September 8, 2020, I had been working in the office and started to smell smoke. I walked out on the front deck and saw great plumes of smoke rising over the trees. With that much smoke, I thought the whole hill was on fire. I turned on the scanner app…
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