March 29, 2025 5:50 p.m. 

On Saturday, Governor Tina Kotek declared an emergency due to severe flooding in southeastern Oregon.

Kotek said, “Floodwaters in Harney County and on the Burns Paiute Reservation have created serious public health and environmental hazards and they need all hands on deck. This declaration allows the state to act swiftly and help local emergency responders protect Oregonians and the things they hold dear.”

Kotek said, “The conditions are evolving rapidly and my office is monitoring closely. I urge residents to check on neighbors, follow the instructions and evacuation levels issued by emergency officials, subscribe to the emergency alerts on ORAlert.gov, have an evacuation plan, prepare a go-kit, and stay aware of changing conditions”.

A release from the Governor’s Office said following state statute, the governor determined a potential threat to life, safety, property and significant damage to infrastructure exits, due to flooding, causing an ongoing state of emergency to Harney County and on the Burns Paiute Reservation.

The Executive Order directs the Oregon Department of Emergency Management to lead a coordinated, multi-agency response to assess, respond to, mitigate and recover from the impacts of the flooding.

On March 17, in response to severe flooding in southern Oregon, OEM activated the State Emergency Coordination Center to Level 3. The state has remained at Level 3 and has been coordinating requests for public information officer support, sandbagging assistance, and other resources as needed. Regional staff from multiple state agencies are deployed and working in-person to support.

The declaration is effective immediately and will remain in effect through April 30, 2025 unless terminated or extended sooner.