Shafer praises county emergency operations

By Terry Murry on Friday, August 2nd, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

UMATILLA COUNTY – Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer paid a late night visit to the county’s Emergency Operations Center and came away impressed with what he witnessed from all involved, including Emergency Manager Sage DeLong.

“When you come into the EOC it looks like utter chaos, but if you look a little closer, you’ll see that it’s a well-oiled machine,” he said. “Sage DeLong is in there running things and it’s just incredible watching him. It’s kind of like watching the conductor of an orchestra.”

Shafer said that what DeLong would say is it wouldn’t be possible without his EOC team, and he’s right. One example of that is Capt. Sterrin Ward, who Shafer worked with during his years with the sheriff’s office.

“She’s just flat-out amazing,” he said of Ward. “I can’t say enough about her and her staff.”

He also praised the search and rescue team led by Sgt. Dwight Johnson who knocked on doors to make sure people got to safety. Shafer also thanked community members who brought food and water to the center, and lauded another very important group of volunteers.

“The biggest unsung heroes of the event were the farmers,” he said. “They brought in their discs. They were doing disc lines around the fires. They did some really courageous and important work.”