President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a major disaster declaration for public assistance in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties. The state, tribes, eligible local governments and nonprofits can receive public assistance on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair and replacement of damaged facilities, according to a news release from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA.
Gov. Tina Kotek in late May asked Trump to declare a disaster after parts of southern Oregon in March and April experienced flooding from rapid snowmelt, record-level rainfall and overflowing rivers.
The floods resulted in nearly $9.5 million in damage, according to the Oregon Emergency Management Department, as landslides destroyed homes, businesses, bridges and utility systems — prompting Kotek to declare a state of emergency.
Trump previously called the federal agency issuing emergency funds to states a “disaster” and suggested that states should take care of natural disaster damage on their own, Stateline reported. Following Kotek’s request for a disaster declaration, Oregon’s sole Republican Congressman Cliff Bentz, who represents parts of the affected counties, sent a letter to FEMA outlining the need for federal financial support.
“This far exceeds what the people of these counties can bear, making the need for federal assistance essential,” Bentz said in a news release.
The FEMA award is for three of the four counties the governor had requested assistance for, but not Harney County, where a broken levee in April damaged hundreds of homes.
In a news release from the governor’s office, Kotek said state lawmakers approved funding during the 2025 Legislative Session for Burns and Harney County that will assist the region minimize flooding through infrastructure repair and improvement, such as work on dikes, levees, dredging and vegetation thinning along waterways.
“With limited state and local capacity, federal resources are essential to help communities impacted by disaster to recover and prevent future devastation,” Kotek said in the release. “Oregonians are resilient and inspiring. FEMA stepping up to support our recovery efforts is much appreciated. I want to thank President Trump and everyone who advocated to make this declaration a reality.”
