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Director's Message
Over the past two years, Oregonians have faced floods, drought, wildfire, ice storms, excessive heat events and a pandemic, underscoring the importance of preparing for emergencies and disasters. Earthquake safety is no exception: Oregon has the potential for a 9.0+ magnitude earthquake caused by the Cascadia subduction zone – a 600-mile fault located 70-100 miles off the Pacific coast shoreline – and a resulting tsunami that will impact the entire Northwest region. This is why I urge Oregonians to join me in taking part in this week’s Great Oregon ShakeOut.
ShakeOut is a global event encouraging people to prepare for and practice how to be safer during an earthquake. This year’s official ShakeOut drill is scheduled for 10:21 a.m. on Oct. 21. At that time, we’re all encouraged to drop, cover and hold on, remaining in that position for at least 60 seconds. More than 500,000 Oregonians – including schools, individuals, families and businesses – have registered for this year’s event to practice risk reduction in the event of an earthquake, and Governor Brown has proclaimed Oct. 21 as Great Oregon ShakeOut Day.
As we work to build a culture of preparedness in Oregon, we have a shared responsibility to ensure we are all actively reducing our risk. Participating in the Great Oregon ShakeOut is a proactive step anyone can take. The event also serves as a reminder to review and update emergency preparedness plans and supplies; knowing what to do before, during and after an earthquake can save your life.
Folks can learn more about the Great Oregon ShakeOut and register as a participant at Shakeout.org/Oregon. We also recently hosted a ShakeOut webinar and Facebook Live featuring OEM Geologic Hazards Program Coordinator Althea Rizzo; you can view the presentation in English and in Spanish on our YouTube channel, or click the image above.
Take care of yourselves, and take care of each other.
Andrew Phelps, Director, Oregon Office of Emergency Management
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New tsunami casualty estimates report
The Oregon Health Authority has posted a new tsunami casualty estimates report that provides Oregon estimates of expected injuries and fatalities from a “large” tsunami generated by a Cascadia earthquake. County and city estimates are provided to inform planning efforts by the state’s 11 coastal hospitals, the counties, the state, and others. Click the link below to view the report in full.
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Cyber threats: U.S. Water and Wastewater Systems Sector
CISA, the FBI, the EPA and the NSA have released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory that details ongoing cyber threats to the U.S. Water and Wastewater Systems Sector. This activity—which includes cyber intrusions leading to ransomware attacks—threatens the ability of WWS facilities to provide clean, potable water to, and effectively manage the wastewater of, their communities. The joint CSA provides extensive mitigations and resources to assist WWS Sector facilities in strengthening operational resilience and cybersecurity practices. CISA has also released this infographic that details both information technology and operational technology risks the WWS Sector faces and provides select resources.
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SPIRE Grant recommendations
The Oregon Legislature has approved funding for two rounds of the State Preparedness and Incident Response Equipment (SPIRE) grant. The first run awarded 82 pieces of equipment to 80 applicants. The council is seeking recommendations for additional equipment for the next round, which will include urban search and rescue equipment. SPIRE equipment must:
- Be a capital asset costing $5,000 or more specifically for the piece of equipment; no other costs can be added, such as hitches, covers, lights or training.
- Be deployable – equipment must have wheels or be easily moved or pulled by a vehicle
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Meet specific equipment operational requirements, i.e., membership in ORWARN for water purification, or must have a fire, rescue or law enforcement partner as an applicant
To recommend equipment, email a detailed description including where it can be procured (web link) and cost, if known. Additionally, if you believe that a current piece of equipment should be in a different priority level, list what level and provide a short explanation. Send recommendations to Jim Jungling at OEM by 5 p.m. on Oct. 28.
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Hazard Mitigation Grant Program updates
OEM is pleased to introduce Anna Feigum as the new State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO). The email shmo@mil.state.or.us remains active or you can email Anna directly. Additionally, Nic Roberts is assisting with quarterly reporting and RFI requests; if you have questions about either or need assistance, please reach out as soon as possible.
OEM’s Mitigation program has received $1,752,249 in federal funding for HMGP-PF-FM-5394-OR (2021 wildfires). If your entity is interested in pursuing funding for this grant round, please fill out and submit a pre-application and note that you are seeking funding under 5394 specifically. Pre-applications are due Nov. 26 to shmo@mil.state.or.us. OEM will present a final sub-applicant briefing at 1 p.m. on Oct. 20; click the link below to join. The first sub-applicant briefing is available to view on OEM’s YouTube channel.
The 12-month final lock-in for HMGP-DR-4562-OR (September 2020 wildfires) indicates that OEM has received $96,891,204 in federal funds, down from the six-month estimate of $115 million. Due to this decrease in funds, the review and prioritization processes for this grant round will be reevaluated and any updates will be communicated as soon as possible.
The SHMO is currently working on state priorities and a Notice of Funding Opportunity should be coming in the next two weeks, providing an additional $36 million for HMGP-DR-4499-OR (COVID declaration).
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2021 State Homeland Security Grant Program awards
OEM has finalized its review of the 2021 State Homeland Security Grant Program, which funds a range of activities designed to prepare for, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism or catastrophic events. The full list of this year’s SHSP award recipients can be found by clicking the link below. Awards were sent out on Oct. 8. Recipients are encouraged to return their signed agreements back to OEM as soon as possible. If agreements are not signed and returned by Feb., 4, 2022, it could result in the awards being withdrawn. Information on the 2022 SHSP program will be released when available.
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Homeland Security Grant Program: NCSR reminder
All Homeland Security Grant Program recipients and subrecipients are required to complete a full Nationwide Cybersecurity Review every year; the review is open now through Feb. 28, 2022. The NCSR is a no-cost, anonymous, annual self-assessment designed to measure gaps and capabilities of state, local, Tribal and territorial governments’ cybersecurity programs. It can be used to help identify and prioritize actions for reducing cybersecurity risk and align policy, business and technological approaches to managing risk. Using the results of the review, the Department of Homeland Security delivers a bi-yearly anonymous summary report to Congress providing a broad picture of the cybersecurity maturity across the state, local, Tribal and territorial communities.
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Preparedness during a power outage
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FEMA Region 10 Individual and Community Preparedness Team will present a virtual Halloween House of Hazards from 7-7:45 p.m. on Oct. 26. The team welcomes all to discuss preparedness considerations during a power outage. Expect fun and Halloween-inspired twists and be ready to have a spooky, good time! Click the link below to register. |
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SBA working capital loans for drought
While drought conditions are expected to improve across the Northwest through the winter season, total removal of drought conditions may not occur as this is a multi-year drought. The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small nonfarm businesses in 12 Oregon counties of the Nov. 12 deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought that began March 15, 2021, in Clackamas, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Marion, Sherman, Wasco and Wheeler counties.
Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. including fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance and should contact the Farm Services Agency; however, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters. Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at the link below. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.
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CISA cybersecurity workforce development webinar
CISA is holding a cybersecurity workforce development webinar from 10-11 a.m. on Oct. 19 for students and anyone interested in a career in cybersecurity. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from cybersecurity experts and academic advisors about what things to consider and what pathways are available within cybersecurity. The presentation will feature opening remarks from Patrick Massey, CISA Region 10 Regional Director, and feature a panel discussion with four subject matter experts. Click the link below to register.
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American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign
Home fires claim seven lives each day in the U.S. That's why the American Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign with community partners in 2014 to help prevent fire tragedies. So far, the campaign has saved at least 1,048 lives nationwide -- including more than 350 children -- by helping families create escape plans, installing more than 2.2 million free smoke alarms and sharing critical fire safety information in thousands of high-risk communities. This work is so important because every story inspires others to protect their families and help those most vulnerable. Take a moment to read through all the impressive work that Red Cross divisions, regions, chapters and partners do every day to support the Home Fire Campaign.
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Upcoming Disaster Trainings
The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium is presenting two upcoming virtual hazard trainings: All Hazards Preparedness for Animals in Disasters and All Hazards Planning for Animal, Agricultural, and Food Related Disasters.
All Hazards Preparedness for Animals in Disasters (AWR-328) takes place Oct. 26. This 8-hour awareness-level course is delivered in two 4-hour Zoom sessions and is designed to provide tools to protect, respond to and recover from the consequences of disasters involving animals in rural communities.
All Hazards Planning for Animal, Agricultural, and Food Related Disasters (MGT-448 ) takes place Nov. 2. This DHS/FEMA-certified, 8-hour, tuition-free management-level course will provide the background information needed to lead a multi-agency team of emergency planners in the development of an Emergency Support Functions annex for food and animal-related disasters to supplement their community’s existing Emergency Operation Plans.
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Federal Share of Disaster Funds Obligated to be Spent in Oregon
2020 Flooding: $2,252,573
2020 Wildfire: $232,376,933
COVID-19: $339,438,016
2021 Ice Storm: $604,801
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