By Rebecca Marshall

The Red Cross has been on the scene since heavy rain, floods, and mudslides affected several counties in Oregon in March 2025. 

We had a shelter opened in Cottage Grove, and Drain, and as I write this, we still have a shelter open at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg. Here we are offering a place to stay, a meal, snacks, water, emotional care, information about the flooding, and connection with partner agencies.

But that’s not all we are doing. Damage assessment teams are out in communities, like Drain, Winston, Roseburg, Cottage Grove, Yoncalla, and others delivering clean up kits and checking on the people’s homes who’ve been affected by the floods and mudslides. 

“I’ve been to too many neighborhoods to count” says volunteer Jim Court.  He is part of a team that’s been in the thick of it for several days. “I’m going to five new towns today between Roseburg and Grants Pass.  We are finding water, mud, and even sewage debris up to 3 feet inside homes.”

Volunteer Terry Nefcy leads the other team. “In Myrtle Point there were several homes where people needed to be rescued by boat.  One lady in her seventies and rescued by a jet ski.  Most homes in the flood plain are lifted high so water was only about 12 inches in the house, but we did see a house where water went 3 feet in. The Coquille River was predicted to rise to 35 feet but it actually rose 40 feet above normal.  Crazy!”

Dozens of homes have been affected with about a third of them sustaining major damage.  Sadly, the flooding even resulted in one fatality. As the water recedes, the cleanup begins. Not only is this messy work, but it’s also potentially dangerous work.

Each day these teams go out with safety reminders:

• Don’t drive across flooded roadways.

• Roads may be damaged or destroyed beneath the waters.
• 12-inches of water is enough to float a vehicle.
• 6-inches of running water can sweep you off your feet.

• Land- and mudslides are occurring due to saturated soils.

The impact of this storm reached cities, small towns, and very remote areas too but, with the help of our volunteers and partners, we are finding these folks and doing what we can to get them back on their feet.  As with all our disaster responses, we will be there as long as we’re needed.  

If you need assistance, please call 1-800-RedCross or 211.  If you are interested in volunteering or supporting our work, please go to RedCross.org/Cascades.