THE DALLES — On June 13, a community update meeting was held at The Dalles High School Auditorium, with representatives from local and state organizations including the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue (MCFR), the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office (OSFM), the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Red Cross presenting updates on the Rowena Fire.
Officials answered questions and gave breakdowns of the current fire map. In his presentation, Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill discussed the damage assessment process and confirmed that, at the time of the meeting, no fatalities had been reported.
He said a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) would be held June 18 from 4-6 p.m. at the Wasco County Building, 401 E. Third St., The Dalles, where officials from government agencies such as the Planning Department, Department of Human Service (DHS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will be available to meet with residents affected by the fire.
“So that gives you the opportunity to go and start having these hard conversations about how we as a community can come together and you can get some of those resources that you need,” Magill said.
He also discussed the mental health toll of the fire on residents, noting representatives from Mid-Columbia Center for Living were present to speak with and provide resources to community members.
“Your mental health, our mental health as a community, is really, really important … We’re going to do what everybody does here in Wasco County. We’re going to get our jobs done, and we’re going to come together to do it,” he said.
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