Photo credit: Conlan Archer / Jack Turpen
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Management, along with local, regional, and state organizations, is working to better understand and support ongoing community needs stemming from the Flat Fire. In partnership with Citizens4Community (C4C), Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC), United Way of Central Oregon, and the Oregon Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM), the County has created an "Assistance Request Form" where residents impacted by the Flat Fire can share their continuing needs.
The form – available at bit.ly/flatfireneeds – provides a way for individuals and households to let the County and its partners know about ongoing challenges and needs such as cleanup, debris removal, home repairs, well testing, counseling, rent assistance, and more. "If you and your family are not yet fully recovered from the Flat Fire in any way, we want to hear about it," explained Ben Duda, Deschutes County Emergency Manager.
While filling out the form does not guarantee that every need will be met, it ensures that those needs are visible to the organizations best positioned to help. The County and its community partners will meet weekly to review submissions, identify available resources, and coordinate responses. Personal information will remain protected and used only to connect individuals with resources or as required by law. In some cases, responses may be anonymized and combined to give local leaders a clearer picture of overall community needs.
“With only five homes destroyed, we know that we were very lucky as a community,” said Kellen Klein, Executive Director of Citizens4Community. “But we also know that fire recovery has a ‘long tail’ – needs trickle in over time, and can be wide-ranging. There are resources available and folks that want to help, but only if we know where to deploy them. This form is a first step toward hopefully matching those in need with various types of support, and advocating for more aid for Sisters Country if necessary.”
By completing the Flat Fire Assistance Request form at bit.ly/flatfireneeds, residents can help ensure that recovery resources are directed where they are most needed. Those needing assistance to fill out the form should call Deschutes County Emergency Management at 541-388-6501.
Contact information:
Ben Duda | Emergency Manager, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office
Desk: 541-312-6020 | Main Office: 541-388-6655 | Ben.Duda@deschutes.org
Kellen Klein | Executive Director, Citizens4Community (C4C)
425-260-8411 (c) | 541-203-0527 (o) | director@citizens4community.com