KWSO News for Thu., Aug. 27, 2020

There were no new cases of Covid-19 in Warm Springs between Tuesday and Wednesday this week.  However there was an additional death bringing the total number of deaths, from Covid-19 in Warm Springs, to 7. There have been a total of 299 Positive cases of Covid-19.  2662 Tests have been Conducted at the Health & Wellness Center according to yesterday’s Covid-19 Update.

The P-515 Fire, burning on the Warm Springs Reservation, was mapped at 4,609 acres yesterday and estimated at 65% contained. Resources, yesterday, focused on mop-up efforts on concentrated sources of heat near the perimeter of the fire.

The Lionshead Fire is at 3,059 acres and 15% contained.  Firefighters continued direct and indirect burn out operations to better secure the northern flank, yesterday.  The intent of the strategic burn out operation along the J-200 road is to remove pockets of fuel prior to the fire reaching the road as a point to hold the fire.  Crews on the southern flank prepped other sections of the J-200 road for ongoing firing operations.

To the North of Warm Springs, specifically north of Bear Springs,  the White River Fire was estimated at 2775 acres, 10 percent contained.  There are several closures in the area due to fire activity.  Additional personnel joined the fire line yesterday to help with securing the fire lines, patrolling and securing spot fires and monitoring the fire perimeter along the White River on the south side of the fire.

Lines on the Green Ridge Fire burning near Camp Sherman held and crews continued mopping up hotspots. One area on the north side and one area on the east side are challenging efforts. On the north side, crews continue to find and contain spot fires in a location dubbed “the honeycomb” due to the number of areas where embers have ignited small fires outside the line. On the east side, crews are working to mopup a large section of line where the fire burned in a mosaic pattern, leaving pockets of vegetation that could reignite. At just over 4348 acres, the Green Ridge Fire is 23% contained.

The Oregon Department of Human Services has received approval from Food and Nutrition Services to disburse increased food benefits in September. This additional $30 million for eligible Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will bring the total increased benefits to $150 million. SNAP households will automatically receive the additional allotment in the same way they receive their current benefits. For most customers this is an EBT card. The additional benefit amount will be disbursed to all eligible SNAP households – on September 11 for current SNAP households, and September 30 for new. Some recipients may not see it until the following day. Oregonians already enrolled in SNAP do not need to take any additional action. The increase brings all households to the maximum SNAP benefit. Households that already receive the maximum benefit will not receive any additional benefits.

The Oregon Health Authority reported 6 more COVID-19 deaths and 22 new confirmed and presumptive cases in its Wednesday update. OHA also released its weekly report, which showed a 13% drop in daily cases for the week of Aug. 16 to Aug. 23. Slightly fewer Oregonians were tested for the week, which had a total of 24,177 people tested. That total includes testing done at all locations including commercial non-hospital-based laboratories, hospital laboratories and Oregon State Public Health Laboratory. The rate of positive tests also declined to 5.1% from 5.4%. The age group most affected by the virus remains 20-29, although the elderly remain the hardest hit age group. COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates increase with age; almost half of the 420 deaths have been among persons 80 or older, and 75% in persons 70 and older.

Native American women are more likely to experience violence in their lives than any other demographic. A new study analyzes the epidemic of missing and murdered Native women in California; it found the highest concentration of cases along the North Coast. JPR’s April Ehrlich reports: