Morrow County under Flood Warning
STAFF REPORT
MOUNT GILEAD The National Weather Service in Cleveland has issued a Flood Warning for central Morrow County until 12:45 a.m.
At 6:54 p.m., Doppler radar indicated heavy rain. Flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly in the warned area. Between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain have fallen.
Some locations that will experience flooding include Mount Gilead and Edison.
Low-lying areas of Morrow County Fairgrounds are flooded. A few homes and businesses along South Main Street are threatened.
Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other drainage areas and low lying spots.
HEPPNER â Fewer than 250 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 this week in the first two of eight clinics scheduled in Morrow County this month, raising concerns as officials push to use more than 2,000 doses in April.
Morrow County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay said officials are hoping to use 400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at each of the eight clinics. She said itâs unclear what might have led to the low initial turnout, but said populations now eligible may be more skeptical about the shot.
Lindsay said that, with cases rising across much of Oregon and nationwide, it is especially important that people get vaccinated.
Oregonians over the age of 16, who have not qualified for the COVID-19 vaccine in any of the phases of the vaccine rollout, will be eligible for a shot as of Monday, April 19.
After moving through all of the specialized groups â most recently, essential workers and those with underlying conditions â the state had planned to make the vaccine available to everyone over the age of 16 on May 1. But on Tuesday, April 6, Gov. Kate Brown announced the new date will be April 19.
âWe are locked in a race between vaccine distribution and the rapid spread of COVID-19 variants,â Brown wrote in a news release. âToday, Oregon will pass the threshold of 2 million vaccine doses administered. And yet, in communities across Oregon, COVID-19 is spreading at concerning rates. We must move as quickly as possible to get more shots in arms.â
The Morrow County Public Health Department is partnering with state and federal officials to hold several COVID-19 vaccine clinics in the coming weeks.
Morrow County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay said that the county is expecting to receive more than 2,000 doses for the clinics.Â
Officials with the Oregon Health Authority and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are assisting the health department in providing free Johnson & Johnson vaccines to those who live or work in Morrow County at the clinics, according to a press release. No health insurance is required.
Those eligible for the vaccine in Oregon include frontline workers as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people from multigenerational households, people over age 16 with an underlying health condition that places them at risk, as well as all people previously eligible for the vaccine.
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