Mazama Store keeps doors open
After a brief closure, the Mazama Store is open for business, although on a somewhat limited basis and with reduced hours. The outdoor service area is closed, but the store itself is staffed.
“We thought, ‘there are still people here who haven’t evacuated,’” co-owner Missy LeDuc said last week. “It’s nice for them to have a close-by option.”
The store offers some baked goods, pastries and coffee along with the usual provisions. Staffing is a challenge, LeDuc said, but the store “is trying to keep people who need the work and want the work.”
The store is in a level 2 evacuation zone, but is within a quarter-mile of a level 3 zone just across the Methow River. It is still accessible by way of Highway 20 and Goat Creek Road, although road signs note that travel is limited to residents and property owners.
LeDuc said she is seeing mostly local residents and few tourists.
Keeping the store open gives people an opportunity to socialize and exchange information, LeDuc said. As for the coming days and weeks, LeDuc said, they’ll play it by ear.
Cancelations, postponements
Because of increased fire danger and unhealthy smoke conditions, some Methow Valley events are being canceled or postponed:
• Confluence Gallery’s Home Tour, scheduled for Aug. 7, has been canceled.
• Methow Arts had planned an outdoor concert for Aug. 14 that has now been canceled.
• All Methow At Home outdoor activities are canceled until further notice.
• The Methow Conservancy’s “First Tuesday” event scheduled for Aug. 3 has been postponed to Sept. 7, on the lawn at the Conservancy’s new headquarters, from 7 – 8 p.m.
As of early this week, live events planned for the TwispWorks Pavilion will go ahead.
Check with individual venues or organizations if you’re not sure about the status of an event.
Sign up for alerts
People can sign up to be notified by phone, text or email about fires, floods and official evacuation orders from Okanogan County.
To sign up, go to the Okanogan County Emergency Management web page at https://okanogancounty.org/government/emergency_management/index.php. Click on “Okanogan County Alerts” on the left. Then go to “Create an Account.”
To opt in, provide a street address in Okanogan County (not a post office box) and verify it on the map. After the address is verified, you can submit the ways you want to be notified. You can also provide more than one address for notifications (e.g., home, work, relative’s address).
Provide your phone number for calls and a cell phone number for texts. You can also give an email address.
This system will send specific emergency alerts for your address, such as evacuations. Create a separate account for every member of the household.
Some email programs think the alerts are spam. Check the settings on your email to be sure they’re not blocking the alerts.
Make sure your account is up to date every year, or if you move or change your phone number. Keep track of your username and password. Contact Emergency Management at em@co.okanogan.wa.us or (509) 422‑7206 if you forget or can’t log in. Click on https://okanogancounty.org/departments/emergency_management/okanogan_county_alerts/okanogan_county_alert_system for details.
You can get general alerts for Okanogan County by texting 893 – 61. You can also get general alerts by texting “OKCOUNTY” to 888777 (text “OKESP” for the Spanish version). Text your ZIP code for alerts about your city or town.
You can view all current alerts on the Emergency Management web page (see Everbridge and Nixle notifications). ENotify is only for alerts about changes to the web page, not the emergency alerts.
The most current information will be on Emergency Management’s website, not their Facebook page.
Call (509) 740‑0602 to hear recorded notifications (there is no human operator).
