Volunteers are available at a variety of Curry County locations to help people fill out surveys for the Oregon Kitchen Table project.

The Oregon Kitchen Table is a statewide endeavor to gather public input in regards to services received and financial matters, particularly at the county level.

“It’s important to have a voice, or to weigh in, to have help saying something about the future of county government,” said Georgia Nowlin, a Ford Foundation graduate who is assisting with coordination of the effort. “It is important. There’s a new (county) board coming in, and it helps them to hear from citizens. It’s important to have the voices.”

The Curry County Board of Commissioners are expected to declare a state of emergency today (Nov. 21) after County Roadmaster Dan Crumley outlined some of the damage done by the season’s first winter storm Monday and Tuesday.

“The Chetco River is higher today than in anyone’s memory,” Crumley told commissioners David Itzen and George Rhodes at a meeting Tuesday. “I think we need to make an emergency declaration.”

Outreach Gospel Mission volunteers were busy Monday and Tuesday making sure food boxes for the needy were filled with all the Thanksgiving goods: turkey, potatoes, stuffing, fruits, veggies and pumpkin pie mix, to name a few. 

They were preparing food boxes for more than 400 people.

Visitors to Sporthaven Beach at the Port of Brookings Harbor watch storm surf arrive. The Pilot/Jane Stebbins

Wind gusts of up to 65 mph in Gold Beach and Port Orford today toppled trees, downed power lines and sent a storage shed tumbling down the street as the brunt of Curry County’s first major storm pummeled the area.

Wind damage was minimal so far in Brookings, where a high gust of 46 mph was reported at 3:30 p.m. However, Carpenterville Road just north of Brookings was closed as of 4:45 p.m. today after a fallen tree blocked the road, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

“We’re lucky. The damage has been minimal so far,” Curry County Sheriff John Bishop said at 4:30 p.m. today.

X marks the spot: Bryan Tillung and Jan Ramelli stand at a small park at the north end of the Chetco River bridge where they would like to place an oversized U.S. flag on a 50- to 80-foot pole in honor of past and current veterans.The Pilot / Lorna Rodriguez

Brookings resident and Gulf War vet Bryan Tillung wants all past and present service members and their families to be remembered. 

“I can still remember the feeling of loneliness, the feeling that everyone had forgotten me,” Tillung said.“I thought well, what do we do for our kids who have served or who are retired?” 

After Seaview Senior Living Community Relations Director Jan Ramelli approached Tillung with the idea of flying an oversized American flag near the Chetco River Bridge, he knew: a “freedom flag,” a large American flag that will serve as a symbol of freedom. 

It’s only been a week – Andrew Bair didn’t even know his new phone number, much less have business cards – but the new CEO at Curry General Hospital has been trying to gently shake up the structure of hospital operations while retaining the good will and faith of those he’s trying to lead.

“We all have our own different style,” Bair said, addressing the challenges the hospital has faced in the last year. “Changeover in leadership in hospitals is not all that uncommon, but it can be very disruptive. Even though I have ideas, I have to talk to people. I’m going to be working with different people, working in a different culture. I need to test the waters.”

His first week was all about meeting people. Staff, physicians, the hospital board. People at Shore Pines Assisted Living Community. Politicians and clinic staff in Port Orford, Gold Beach, Brookings. Local private doctors. South Coast Alliance members, CEOs from other hospitals and the finance committee.

NEWPORT – The opening of the ocean commercial Dungeness crab season from Point Arena, Calif., north will be delayed at least through Dec. 15 to allow crab quality to improve.

The ocean commercial Dungeness crab season along the Oregon coast normally opens on Dec. 1, but can be delayed to ensure a high-quality product to consumers and avoid wastage of the resource. Crab quality testing in early November showed the majority of test areas coast-wide did not meet minimum preseason test criteria. Fishery managers in Oregon, Washington and California met and decided to delay the opening.

A third round of crab quality testing will occur in late November or early December, and the results will be used to determine if the ocean commercial season should open Dec.16, be further delayed in all three states, or be split into two areas with different opening dates.

The delay will allow for the crab to fill with more meat and provide the three states with more information for setting an appropriate commercial crab season opening schedule.

The Southern Oregon Coast is holding its own during what economists believe is the end of the recession, fiscal challenges at the county level and a summer of record-high gasoline prices.

“The Brooking-Harbor tourism industry has actually fared very well compared to other parts of the state,” said Brookings-Harbor Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Les Cohen. “It has to do directly with the effectiveness of promotions the chamber’s been doing all these years. We’ve seen a lot of activity.”

The chamber has adjusted its target market area to accommodate high gas prices, notably those in California, and the shorter distances visitors are traveling on vacation.

In August, 3,795 people came to the visitor’s center at Crissey Field, down from 3,815 in August of 2011, but up from 3,155 in 2010.

Batten down the hatches and run your errands early: the first winter storm of the year is forecast to arrive in Curry County today (Nov. 17) and it’s packing a punch. 

The worst case scenario could result in 13 inches of rain during the next four days, with the bulk of it falling Sunday evening through Tuesday.

 The first of many storm fronts arriving today’s is forecast to bring wind gusts of 35 to 55 miles per hour and 1 to 3 inches of rain in a six hour period this afternoon. Snow levels will be well above major passes with the lowest being 5,500 feet. 

The National Weather Service has issued a special severe weather statement for Southern Oregon and Northern California, forecasting a weeklong series of storms that will start hitting the coast tonight.

Readers can find the latest forecasts from both the National Weather Service and AccuWeather at www.CurryPilot.com/weather and the current conditions at the Pilot's downtown weather station can be seen at weatherstation.currypilot.com

Tonight's storm will be "moderately strong" with rain and, at high elevations, snow. Gusts of 35 to 55 mph are expected Saturday morning, and continuing all day -- with heavy rain forecast for Saturday afternoon.

The full text of the current weather warning is: