September is National Preparedness Month: Plan Today. Ready Tomorrow.

Over the weekend, Governor Brown issued an emergency declaration to ensure every resource is made available for firefighting efforts to protect our state. We’re witnessing the effects of a changing climate through these larger wildfires, hotter days and worsening drought conditions, all of which have impacted the lives, livelihoods and property of the people in Oregon.

Sadly, this includes the tragic loss of two wildland firefighters while in the line of service. Logan Taylor and Collin Hagan were each struck by falling trees while fighting fires, and their loss is deeply felt throughout the wildland fire and emergency management community.

Additionally, we are nearing the two-year mark of the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, an event that caused a depth of loss for many; survivors continue to experience exceptional stresses and trauma and our communities continue to rebuild from that devastating disaster.

Whether it’s from wildfire, excessive heat or a 9.0+ magnitude Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, there is an urgent need for everyone in the state to be prepared. September is National Preparedness Month, and the state’s theme – Plan Today. Ready Tomorrow. – urges everyone to take active steps to plan and prepare today to be ready for future emergencies and disasters.

As emergency managers, our mission is to empower Oregonians to be as prepared as possible in an emergency. We need people to understand that when a disaster occurs, it may take days or even weeks for responders to reach everyone impacted. For every one person that’s prepared, that’s one less person first responders need to assist, allowing them to better prioritize and attend to life-threatening situations and vulnerable populations.

Every Oregonian can be ready for emergencies, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or happen all at once. I know it can feel overwhelming, but it’s about doing what you can, where you are, with what you have, to keep yourself and your family safe. There are many effective low-cost and no-cost actions Oregonians can take today to be ready for tomorrow. We’re pleased to partner with Governor Brown’s office, which has proclaimed September as National Preparedness Month in Oregon; American Red Cross Cascades Region to promote its “Emergency: Alerts” app; and several fellow state agencies in a coordinated effort to share readiness resources throughout September you can pass along to your communities to help make preparedness accessible for everyone in Oregon.

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

FEMA’s Ready Campaign and the Ad Council are teaming up to produce a National Preparedness Month (NMP) campaign featuring a call to action for Black and African American communities. National public service announcements will be released across the country in September to help get preparedness information into the hands of those who live in underserved communities. FEMA's theme for 2022 National Preparedness Month is "A Lasting Legacy: The life you’ve built is worth protecting. Prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family." FEMA has released a number of NPM materials, including social media graphics, NPM animated graphics, an NPM social media toolkit and a social media toolkit for personal disaster preparedness for people with disabilities. These materials are available in English and Spanish. FEMA's Ready in Your Language offers preparedness resources in other languages.

Dogs practicing preparednessAre you and your pets ready for emergencies? August 26 was National Dog Day, and a few of our furry friends sent in photos of themselves practicing preparedness. Be sure and check out this adorable video collage of Louie, Ace, Zizou, Edison, Little Miss Mischka, Daisy, Huey, Brother, Stevie and Nick showcasing their readiness skills, and visit Ready.gov/pets to learn more ways to keep your pets safe in an emergency!

This past month, the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe commemorated the completion of the first free-standing tsunami evacuation tower in the nation. Located in Pacific County on the Washington coast, the tribe is at risk of earthquakes and tsunamis. The Auntie Lee Vertical Evacuation Tower, named after retired tribal emergency management director Lee Shipman, is an important step in protecting the community from the dangers of a tsunami. The tribe received a $2.8 million pre-disaster mitigation grant from FEMA and worked closely with FEMA, the Washington Emergency Management Division, and other partners to bring the project to fruition. In the event of a tsunami, the tower can hold 400 people, enough for the local population, and is centrally located in Tokeland to serve both members of the tribe and residents of Tokeland. A truly community-driven, collaborative effort, this project serves as a roadmap for other tribes and communities across the region. Watch a brief video at YouTube to learn more about the tower and its impact.

The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) will be holding five facilitated outreach meetings across the state on Sept. 22, 28 and 29 and Oct. 5 and 6, to share information and ideas about updating the OWRD groundwater allocation policy. The meetings will provide a review of Oregon’s framework for groundwater allocation and initial ideas of revisions to the groundwater allocation process. There will be an opportunity for meeting participants to ask questions and provide public input. The policy will only affect people who are interested in applying for new groundwater rights in Oregon; it will not impact existing groundwater users. Learn more, including meeting times, locations and agendas, at OWRD's groundwater allocation project website.

The Amtrak Police Department and Operation Lifesaver, Inc. – a national rail safety education non-profit – are promoting Rail Safety Week Sept. 19-25. This national first responder initiative saves lives, raises awareness and helps reduce incidents around railroad tracks and trains. Register to share the importance of rail safety and receive free rail safety cards to pass out while supplies last; a multi-platform social content calendar filled with a month of content; a media advisory template to help promote any in person event; and a list of assets to share throughout the year. Sign up at Operation Clear Track 2022.

Sept. 25 is “If You See Something, Say Something” Awareness Day, also known as #SeeSayDay. On #SeeSayDay, the public is encouraged to visit dhs.gov/SeeSayDay to look up the Suspicious Activity Reporting phone number for wherever they live, work or spend a lot of time – and save it in their phone.  By saving their local reporting number, the public can do their part to keep communities safe by contacting law enforcement when they notice something suspicious. Join in the effort and participate in #SeeSayDay this year. Visit DHS's website to find resources, including ready to use social media graphics.

The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) creates a statewide historic preservation plan every five years to identify what is special about Oregon and how best to preserve it for future generations. Oregon SHPO is asking Oregonians what makes Oregon’s heritage special to them in a series of Zoom public meetings. The Sept. 7 meeting will discuss how the heritage community can better address diversity, equity and inclusion in cultural resource programs. The Sept. 14 meeting will talk about disaster preparedness and response for cultural resources. Learn more and register for a meeting at SHPO’s website. Additionally, all Oregonians are invited to take an online survey asking about their interests, what issues matter most, and what Oregonians can do to preserve the state’s history.

Preparing for and training employees to cope with active threats and workplace violence should be a key piece of an organization's emergency action plan. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is hosting a security webinar from 2-4 p.m. on Sept. 13 to enhance awareness of, and response to, an active shooter incident. The event will discuss the elements of active shooter incident response planning with guidance from expert instructors and provide information about best practices, communications protocols and resources. The event will also describe how to incorporate key elements of successful incident management into planning efforts. Learn more and register at Eventbrite.