Yesterday, April 17, marked the beginning of National Volunteer Week with the theme, Volunteering is
Empathy in Action. Throughout the multitude of
disasters and emergencies that have impacted our
state over the past two years, we have witnessed
firsthand that profound human connection is at the
heart of healthier individualsand stronger communities.

We’re incredibly grateful to Oregon Voluntary
Organizations Active in Disaster (ORVOAD), which for
more than 35 years has been bringing together faith-
based and non-governmental organizations to help communities and lessen the burden of those impacted by disaster. Through collaboration with local, regional and national partners, ORVOAD coordinates emergency relief, response and recovery efforts when they’re needed most.

An important part of ORVOAD’s structure includes long term recovery groups (LTRG). LTRGs are comprised of representatives from organizations working within a community to assist individuals and families as they recover from disaster. These groups are so critical because they reflect a community’s local needs, available resources and cultural diversity. Following the devastating flood of 2020 and wildfires of 2020 and 2021, eight LTRGs across the state have worked tirelessly to unite recovery resources with their respective community needs, ensuring that even the most vulnerable have access to resources needed to recover. We sincerely thank the following LTRGs for their indelible contribution to our state’s recovery:

• Blue Mountain Region LTRG, a coalition of community organizations built to help Walla Walla, Columbia, and Umatilla counties, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation recover and rebuild from the floods.
• Clackamas County LTRG, filling gaps and connecting resources for those impacted by the 2020 Clackamas County Riverside and Dowty Road Wildfires. 
• Glide Revitalization, working to help rebuild after the Archie Creek Wildfire in Douglas County.
• Jackson County Community LTRG, uniting the Jackson County community with recovery resources after the 2020 Almeda and South Obenchain Wildfires. 
• Klamath Lake LTRG, formed in response to the 242 wildfires in Klamath and Lake Counties in September 2020 and now focused on stabilizing Bootleg Wildfire survivors.
• Lincoln County LTRG, establishing recovery resources for every affected member of the Lincoln County community following the Echo Mountain Complex Fire.
• McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery, serving the McKenzie Valley community as it rebuilds after the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire.
• Santiam Canyon LTRG, committed to supporting recovery efforts of survivors from the Beachie Creek and Lionshead Wildfires in a string of communities along Oregon’s North Santiam River.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, we recognize and applaud ORVOAD and its member organizations, LTRGs and volunteers throughout Oregon who have spent thousands of hours connecting communities with recovery resources, filling gaps and helping Oregon’s disaster survivors rebuild their lives. Thank you to you all!

Take care of yourselves and take care of each other.
Andrew Phelps, Director, Oregon Office of Emergency Management

Today, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day, celebrating
amateur radio operators worldwide. Thank you to all the
amateur radio (ham) operators in Oregon who provide vital communications capabilities during and after disasters.
Amateur radio operators assist emergency responders by managing and easing heavy communications traffic,
providing up-to-date information through established communications networks, and helping to locate and
facilitate the distribution of resources during emergencies.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal will host a webinar from
noon to 1 p.m. on April 21 to talk about the Firewise USA
program and the steps communities can take to be prepared
for wildfire. Firewise USA provides a framework to help
neighbors work collaboratively to take action to prepare
their homes and communities for wildfire. This presentation
will discuss the current drought outlook, look at statistics from
previous years, explore types of work that can be done and
share examples of mitigation. Register at EventBrite.com.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Fiscal
Year 2022 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP)
Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity, an annual competitive funding opportunity which is available to assist local communities
develop sustainable capabilities to prevent targeted violence and
terrorism in the United States. The TVTP program is for state, local,
tribal and territorial government agencies; 501(c)(3) nonprofits; and accredited institutions of higher education. Applications are due by
2 p.m. on May 18. For Fiscal Year 2022 Congress has provided $20 million,
and the DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships established
the following priorities for award selection: 

• Implementing Prevention Capabilities in Small and Mid-Sized Communities.
• Advancing Equity in Awards and Engaging Underserved Communities in Prevention.
• Addressing Online Aspects of Terrorism and Targeted Violence.
• Preventing Domestic Violent Extremism.
• Enhancing Local Threat Assessment and Management Capabilities. 

DHS will host three informational webinars to discuss the TVTP Grant Program and application requirements, with a question-and-answer period for interested applicants. Webinars will take place at 11 a.m. on April 18, 19 and 21. Register via Microsoft Office Forms. For more information on the TVTP Grants Program, email TerrorismPrevention@hq.dhs.gov.

The 2022 Smoke Management in the Northwest virtual
conference offers an opportunity to share recent policies, programs, tools, data and resources related to wildfire and
smoke management with a focus on the Pacific Northwest. Sessions will integrate both forest and human health considerations, the impacts of COVID-19, climate change
projections, the use of prescribed fire, communication tools and public health protection strategies, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest. The conference will take place virtually from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 26 and April 28. The conference is hosted by the U.S. EPA Region 10 with the support of a planning team that includes federal, tribal, state and local representatives. Register via EventBrite.com.

The Metropolitan Group is hosting an expert panel conversation
on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and how state and local governments can use every lever at their disposal to right historical wrongs, build resilience and deepen capacity to respond to future needs and opportunities. The webinar will be held from 10:30-11:50 a.m. on April 27. Learn more and register via Zoom.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is offering
a virtual cybersecurity awareness webinar from 8-9 a.m. on April 28
titled Preventing DNS Infrastructure Tampering (IR106). This webinar provides key information to protect individuals and organization from Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure tampering, including common vulnerabilities, how to identify a potential attack, and guidance and best practices to reduce the likelihood and impact of a successful
DNS attack. The event is intended for a general audience including
managers and business leaders but also includes topics and perspectives
that may be useful to technical specialists. Register via Adobe Connect. 

FEMA is holding a webinar series focused on Best Practices of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) across Region
10. These webinars highlight ongoing efforts, changes due to
COVID and best practices for engaging within the community.
The webinar will take place from 7-8 p.m. on April 28 and will
feature active CERT members from Idaho, as well as two Idaho
teens from FEMA Region 10's Youth Preparedness Council as
guest speakers. Register via Zoom. Note: Future webinars will
focus on Oregon on July 28 and Washington on Oct. 27. 

CISA Exercises will be hosting a 60-minute workshop at 11 a.m. on
April 28 to provide an overview of the CISA Exercise Tabletop
Exercise Package (CTEP), which offers over 90 different scenario
options. The workshop will cover the unclassified, adaptable
discussion-based exercise resource, the supporting documents
included in each CTEP package, and tips on how to effectively use
the CTEP to plan and execute a tabletop exercise. Private and public
sector stakeholders can ask questions and provide feedback on the
packages, as well as request additional packages. The workshops
will occur on a monthly basis and will include participation from
private and public sector stakeholders and critical infrastructure
owners and operators from across the nation. Join via Microsoft Teams.

Smoke from wildfires is becoming a reality that individuals and
communities face each fire season. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Health Authority are hosting
a webinar from noon to 1 p.m. on May 2 titled, Smoke Ready Oregon: Preparing for Wildfire Smoke, which will discuss how to prepare for a
smoke event. The event will cover smoke impacts to human health,
how to access important air quality information, how to differentiate between the levels of air quality, and actions to take now to prepare.
Register via Zoom.

The EPA has developed a Water Sector Guide to Telecommunications
During Power Outages to help water utilities diversify their telecommunications plans and equipment and help ensure they can
continue to communicate with employees, response partners and
customers during a prolonged power outage. The agency is offering
a webinar titled, Telecommunications Resources and Services, to
provide an overview of some of the technologies, best practices,
programs and services that water utilities can use to ensure
continuity of communications. The event will take place 10-11 a.m.
on May 4. Register via WebEx.com.

Transportation systems play a critical role in maintaining
supply chains for effective post-disaster recovery. Modeling
the potential economic impact of transportation-related disruptions is an important step to promoting pre-event community-wide recovery and resilience planning. The
National Institute for Transportation and Communities is
hosting a webinar, Assessing the Economic Impact of Disaster-Induced Transportation Disruptions, that presents a collaborative framework for supply chain and economic impact assessments and guidance on how to transfer this framework to other communities. The webinar will take place from 10-11 a.m. on May 17. (A previous story stated April 17, we apologize for the misprint). Register at NITC.Trec.Pdx.edu.