News Release
| Release Number: | 06-012 |
| Dated: | 1/23/2006 |
| Contact: | Jennifer A. Sowell, 503-808-4510 |
PORTLAND, Ore. – Due to changes in the extended weather forecast, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has stopped work near Libby and Englewood dikes in Coos County.
The lack of a continued storm event has ended our authority to conduct flood fight operations, said Les Miller, Corps’ chief of emergency management.
The work that began this morning was part of emergency flood fighting operations to build temporary structures to protect houses from flooding should the Libby Dike breach again.
The Corps is able to work under emergency flood fight operations to augment local and state efforts to reduce damages caused by coastal storms and river flooding in the event a storm is forecast within 72 hours. In the event a storm that was forecast ceases to be a threat to the area, the Corps’ authority for flood fight operations ceases with it.
“The work that began this morning was under the emergency order for flood fight operations, but an updated forecast shows enough improvement in the weather to effectively end the Corps’ authority to continue work under this emergency order,” said Miller.
The Corps is looking for other ways to assist, but is also encouraging the city of Coos Bay and Coos County to take advantage of this break in the weather and take over the construction of flood protection structures for the area in anticipation of future storm events.