Recovery Update: Flooding in Harney County

Suzanne Settle
Emergency & Fire Management Coordinator
Burns Paiute Tribe

Paraphrased from the source author:

The flooding in Harney County which began on March 6, 2025 and was driven by two previous wildfire disasters from 2025, combined with significant snowpack from the 2024-2025 winter melting all at once. Communities were aware of the risks of flood and by mid-February were already ordering sandbags, filling and placing them to protect structures and homes. After the 2025 fires, the community did significant mitigation work, but the sudden snow melt and water in 2025 was “too much too fast,” impacting the lower reservation and all the way into town. The levee and dike were failing, and the protective berms that were on the flood plain map were never actually done/remediated. Flooding went from about 18” to 3 feet in about 30 minutes; at its height, the flooding was about 7 feet and encroaching on houses in the Lower Reservation. The significant flooding of this disaster was considered a 100 year flood, which was compounded by the burns scars from previous wildfires.

Funders supporting disaster mitigation was key in Harney County, the overall preparedness and mitigation lowers the response and recovery needs. In preparation for disaster prevention after the wildfires in 2025, all culverts were cleaned out in the fall, ditches dug deeper and surrounding areas mowed. The Tribe worked with Army Corps of Engineers and state and federal partners. There are no LTRGs, no COADs or VOADs in the community, so all support was coming from outside the area. During and after the flooding, the community came together to support those who were evacuated, and overall the permanent loss was contained to one unoccupied home; one other home is still being remediated. All other properties have been remediated with residents returned to their homes.

Other Tribes around Oregon donated food, hay, pumps, shop vacs to the Burns Paiute Tribe; pumps were also loaned from the state; ODHS helped with shower trailers. A combined effort between The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Services, and ODHS, they were able to purchase a shower trailer. It is $50k per week to operate a shower trailer, needs a crew to operate them with fuel, water, etc. Port-a-potties was a $60k bill. These costs add up quickly, having access to those types of assets is essential for remote communities.