PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Federal funding from FEMA has been approved to help fight Oregon wildfires as Gov. Kate Brown continues to urge Oregonians to heed warnings and leave their homes if ordered to evacuate.

“If you are advised to evacuate, please do so immediately. You may not get a second chance,” she said during a Thursday afternoon press conference.

New data revealed at the press conference showed over 900,000 acres have burned so far, a number far greater than the total yearly average. In the last 10 years, an average of 500,000 acres burned in an entire year.

Officials estimate 500,000 Oregonians are in evacuation zones. About 40,000 so far across the state have evacuated from their locale.

“Please stay vigilant and listen to your local officials,” she said. “We are feeling acute impacts of climate change.”

Brown said there were 10 incident management teams around the state.

Federal disaster relief

Oregon lawmakers confirmed Thursday evening the White House approved Brown’s Wednesday request for federal disaster relief. The emergency declaration will provide help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to Oregon. It will also help evacuees with temporary housing and bring in more firefighting resources, according to Rep. Peter DeFazio.

“Oregon is facing an unprecedented crisis, and this decision to declare an emergency comes not a moment too soon,” said DeFazio. “With tens of thousands of Oregonians—who are already dealing with public health concerns and economic uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic—forced to evacuate their homes, it’s imperative that the state has the resources it needs to provide safe temporary housing for all who need it. I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to get Oregon the resources it needs to recover from this disaster.”

Chief of Fire Protection Doug Grafe spoke about the latest conditions during the press conference.

“Hopefully today [Thursday] is the last day of these conditions,” he said.

Grafe said the biggest threat right now is the possibility of the Beachie Fire merging with the Riverside Fire. This would cause “explosive fire activity.”

“It’s all going to be about those winds,” Grafe said. “If those winds sustain through the night, this could push another mile or two to the west. It’s hard to predict how far they will go in.”

“Were hoping this will be the first evening we see an aggressive push down slope,” he said.

He said two Black Hawk helicopters were moved to Hillsboro on Thursday morning to be closer to the Riverside Fire.

Adjutant General Michael Stencel described how the Oregon National Guard is helping on the ground, saying additional soldiers will be coming to help.

Andrew Phelps, Director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, told Oregonians not to go into evacuation zones to survey damage.

“If you’re at home, stay home, if you’re safe, stay safe,” he said. He urged people to check on their neighbors.

Phelps said there are around 200-300 firefighters fighting each fire, with around 3,000 firefighters total. “I think we need to come close to doubling the effort,” he said.

Phelps said FEMA is sending a team to help too.

On Wednesday, Brown said authorities “expect to see a great deal of loss, in human life and property.”

Brown said it could be the greatest loss of human life and property from wildfires in our state history and these are the worst fire conditions in three decades.

At least three people in Oregon and the small child in Washington state were reported killed.

The extent of damage was unclear because so many of the fire zones were too dangerous to survey, said Oregon Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple.

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