Supporting Oregon22 from an emergency management perspective

Starting this Friday and running through July 24, the University of Oregon (UO) will serve as the venue for the World Athletics Championships (Oregon22), the largest and most prestigious track and field event in the world. This marks the first time the championships have been hosted in the U.S.

This event puts Oregon on the global stage, attracting nearly 1,900 athletes from 192 teams and worldwide media coverage with up to 850 media representatives covering the event to a virtual audience of 1 billion viewers. This is an incredible opportunity to introduce the world to all Oregon has to offer, and we want to make sure visitors and athletes have an event that is memorable for all the right reasons. Oregon22 will occur during wildfire season and the possibility of active wildfires and smoke may impact planned events. Additionally, an influx of thousands of visitors to the state will lead to more people on the roads and using transit and limit the availability of lodging in the Willamette Valley.

Planning for this international event began several years ago and our department has spent the last several months leaning in to support the University of Oregon and our local communities as they manage this historic event. We’ve also been engaged with our state and federal partners to provide coordinated crisis management and emergency messaging to ensure accessible communication for international visitors should an incident occur that expands beyond a local response. As always, our hope is for 10 solid blue-sky days, but should an incident or emergency occur that strains public safety resources at the event or elsewhere, OEM stands ready to support the needs of impacted communities.

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

The Oregon State Marine Board is running a life jacket wear campaign on Univision targeted to the Spanish-speaking community. A 30-second ad for broadcast and digital reminds people that drowning is preventable and to wear a life jacket. The campaign kicked off July 1 and runs through the first week of September; the spot is also running on univisionportland.com. OSMB is asking for assistance amplifying the spots on social media. View and download the spot on Vimeo.

FEMA is offering three upcoming preparedness webinars this month. A Wildfire Preparedness Webinar will take place from 2-3 p.m. on July 12. Join mitigation, recovery, and community preparedness experts to learn what to do to reduce wildfire risk and how to proactively prepare. FEMA’s monthly Third Thursday Tips Webinar will take place from noon-12:15 p.m. on July 21 and will focus on how to work with neighbors to get better prepared. Seattle Emergency Communication Hub Captain, Ann Forrest, will discuss how neighborhoods around Seattle come together and build resilience. The Quarterly Region 10 CERT Promising Practices Webinar: Oregon Edition will take place from 7-8 p.m. on July 28. This webinar series focuses on best practices of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and will feature the Oregon NET (Neighborhood Emergency Team) Camp, with highlights from past years and details for this year. Click each individual link above to register for the respective webinar.

The National CERT Awards recognize outstanding achievement and contribution by an individual or program to their community and the nation.  This year’s National CERT Awards Ceremony will be held during the National CERT Conference on August 18 and will recognize activity and contributions between January 2019 and December 2021. All applications must be received by 5 p.m. on July 22. Learn more and submit nominees at SurveyMonkey.

The Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) will host a webinar from 1-2:30 p.m. on July 28 about Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE), a financing tool for seismic mitigation. CPACE provides commercial building owners and property developers a way to obtain private financing to pay for critical seismic upgrades that will make buildings safer. CPACE experts will explain how the tool works and be available to answer questions. Register for the webinar via Zoom. CREW has developed a CPACE Primer for Seismic Mitigation that offers an overview of the tool, describes some of the advantages and issues involved in using CPACE to finance seismic resilience projects, and provides relevant program information by state. Download the primer at the CREW website.

FEMA is asking for feedback for its “National Continuous Improvement Guidance” draft, including suggestions for additional resources and real-world examples. The guidance provides a framework for continuous improvement initiatives before, during and after real-world incidents for state, local, tribal and territorial partners, nongovernmental organizations, private sector and emergency management organizations. FEMA is hosting a series of 60-minute webinar sessions to provide an overview of the draft guidance; dates are July 15, 20, 25 (in Spanish) and 27. Review the draft guidance and register for a webinar at FEMA's website. To submit feedback, email FEMA-CITAP@fema.dhs.gov by July 31.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding Oregon small businesses of the July 28 deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury caused by the Bootleg Fire in Klamath County that occurred July 6 - Aug. 15, 2021. Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size in Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lake and Lane counties may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million. These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage. Learn more and apply at the SBA website.

FEMA recently announced the members of the 2022-2023 Youth Preparedness Council, and four are from FEMA Region 10 states: Miles Butler of Idaho, Neha Srinivasan of Oregon (pictured), Katie Clark of Washington and Shivani Jayaprakasam of Washington. Members are selected based on their dedication to public service, community involvement and potential to increase levels of community resilience throughout the country. The council demonstrates FEMA's commitment to promote and sustain a prepared nation. Learn more about the students selected from FEMA Region 10.

FEMA has updated its mobile app – in English and Spanish – to give users increased personalization options and help them take charge of disasters. In addition to all-new features like disaster declaration notifications and frequently asked questions on assistance applications, popular features such as weather alerts, emergency shelter locations and disaster recovery center information remain, but with a new, user-friendly look and feel. Preparedness information on the FEMA app has also been updated and simplified and presents interactive preparedness information grouped by topic. The agency also updated its Text-to-Shelter feature, allowing users to text “shelter” and their ZIP code to 43362 to get a list of nearby shelter locations. FEMA is asking for help socializing the app by sharing information with your audiences. Visit the FEMA App webpage for links to a social media toolkit and animation describing the app.

The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) has released a 9-page fact sheet titled, Cascadia Earthquake and Tsunami Knowledge Points for Emergency Managers and the Public. This document offers several thoughtful FAQs, the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, a glossary of terms, video links and references. View and download the document at the Oregon Geology website

Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Forestry have launched a Wildfire Risk Map to help communities and property owners know their risk associated with wildfire. The map shows a comprehensive view of wildfire risk within the state, indicates local fire history, and offers additional resources. This site provides information regarding support for homeowners, communities, and professionals to identify and prioritize local wildfire prevention, mitigation efforts, and implement defensible space standards where applicable. Properties within both “High” and “Extreme” risk and in the Wildland-Urban Interface may be subject to a new defensible space code being developed by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. View the map on the Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer.