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Governor's FEMA disaster request denied; Harney County notes $3 million for flood mitigation in pending legislative package
Summary
A FEMA major-disaster request tied to March–April flooding was denied, and Harney County officials said a $3 million legislative allocation for flood mitigation is included in tentative state funding passed by the legislature pending the governor's signature.
County commissioners reviewed correspondence indicating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied Oregon’s request for a major disaster declaration tied to flooding from March 12 to April 15, 2025. The denial letter, discussed at the July 2 Harney County Court session, states FEMA determined the damage was not beyond state and local capabilities and therefore supplemental federal assistance was not necessary.
Commissioners discussed the practical implications of the FEMA denial and noted the difficulty of meeting FEMA’s threshold for a major disaster declaration. "It's always worth it [to appeal], but I don't think they're going to see it that way," one commissioner said during the meeting.
Separately, court members said a legislative funding item — tentatively passed and awaiting the governor’s signature — would allocate $3,000,000 for flood mitigation work in the state. Commissioners said the allocation could be used for repairs and flood-resistance improvements such as dredging and debris removal and could potentially be applied in cooperative projects with the city of Burns. County staff noted that rules about whether state funds can be used as matching funds for other state programs (for example, a 20% match requirement for some infrastructure programs) would need to be checked if the county pursued combined funding applications.
Commissioners said much preliminary planning work has already been completed, including a 2021 feasibility study that outlined 10 alternatives for mitigation measures. The county indicated it has shared those documents with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to avoid duplicating prior work and to speed any future planning.
Ending Commissioners asked emergency management staff to follow up with the Corps of Engineers and to begin planning steps so Harney County is ready to apply funds once terms and availability are confirmed. No federal funding award was announced by FEMA; the legislative allocation remains contingent on final state approval.
