Thankful for EM resources that keep Oregon safe

As the year begins to draw to a close, and especially as we gather with friends or family to celebrate Thanksgiving, I find myself reflecting on so many things for which I am thankful.

Top of mind for me is the incredible team we’ve built at the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. From the new faces that have joined us this summer and fall to the folks who are in their fourth decade of working for OEM, the passion, talent, creativity and professionalism of our team is incredibly special. Through all the changes that come with creating the new department, moving to a larger location, and continuing to manage statewide disasters and supporting our partners, the folks here continue to show that the state and its people are in really good hands. Thank you, Team OEM.

I’m also grateful to live and work as an emergency manager in a state that understands the importance of reducing risk and creating a culture of preparedness. We know that our work often doesn’t have a finish line and there's always something else on our to-do list. The investments we’ve begun to make in this important work are a step in the right direction. It gives me hope that we're more prepared today than we were yesterday, and we’ll be even more prepared tomorrow.

I'm thankful for our many partners across all levels of government and those serving communities through work in the private sector or non-profit organizations. Our work is increasingly complex and requires a high level of collaboration, communication and trust. Knowing that any one of us can call one another asking for help, guidance or sometimes just to vent – and on the other end of that phone call is a friend willing to do whatever they can – is a calming feeling in a crisis. We are stronger together, and the Oregon emergency management community embraces this. Thank you.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday and reminding you to take care of yourselves and each other.

Andrew Phelps, Director, Oregon Department of Emergency Management

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department invites Oregonians to head outside for “Green Friday” the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 25. Oregon state parks will waive day-use parking fees in the 24 parks that are open and normally charge for parking on that day. Parking is free year-round at almost all state parks; the waiver applies to the parks that charge $5 daily for parking. Fee parks include popular destinations such as Fort Stevens, Cape Lookout, Silver Falls, Champoeg, L.L. Stub Stewart, Smith Rock and Milo McIver. A complete list of parks that require day-use parking permits is available online (Fall Creek is listed but closed for the season). The fee waiver applies from opening to close on Nov. 25, except at Shore Acres State Park, where it expires at 4 p.m. for a previously scheduled event.

ODOT is reminding holiday travelers that roads will be busy and potentially wet and snowy this week. If there’s snow or a crash, continuing staffing shortages mean more time will be needed to clear roads and drivers should expect less snow plowing. Drivers should be courteous and patient with crews, whether they’re plowing or flagging traffic; be prepared for changing conditions; and look out for crews and emergency responders on the road. Most construction work will be paused over the holiday weekend to allow for extra traffic. Travelers in Corvallis on Nov. 26 should expect traffic delays from the OSU/UO football game; kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. Find shareable suggestions for safe winter travel during the holiday season at ODOT’s winter driving tips website.

ORWARN is hosting a webinar discussing safety considerations and security risks for water and wastewater utilities. Presentations will cover the benefits of ALICE Active Shooter Training, Crisis Response Programming, and SPAM email risks and network security. The webinar will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 30. Learn more and register at ORWARN.org.

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) will pause accepting new applications for the Oregon Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program at 11 a.m. on Nov. 30. This pause will allow the agency to process current applications in its pipeline, allow for minor system maintenance and better project the amount of federal HAF funds remaining for homeowners. Anyone eligible to apply in Phases 1, 2 or 3 of the phased program opening is encouraged to apply for HAF assistance before the pause deadline. Homeowners can learn more about eligibility for each of these phases and apply online at oregonhomeownerassistance.org.

FEMA is proposing to fund the city of Reedsport for modifications to its levee system as part of a broader flood and seismic hazard resilience strategy. FEMA is seeking public comments for the Flood Reduction and Resiliency Project Draft Environmental Assessment; the comment period is open through Dec. 5. Comments can be emailed to FEMA-R10-EHP-Comments@fema.dhs.gov (include Reedsport in the email subject line). Read the public notice for more information.

Data collected in OEM’s 2022 Capability Assessment influences the agency’s programs and plans to ensure Oregon is identifying and closing any capability gaps. OEM recognizes there have been several technical issues with the Qualtrics System used for this year’s survey, including data overwriting and not allowing multiple people or links to be open at the same time. The assessment deadline has been extended to Dec. 11 to allow more time for those who have experienced these issues. OEM appreciates everyone’s patience and offers some best practices to help mitigate the issues:

• Make sure only one link is open for the survey at one time.
• When done with the survey session, stop at the end of a capability and manually use the save button at the end of the section.

Anyone continuing to encounter issues or who has misplaced their link is encouraged to reach out to OEM Emergency Preparedness Planner Sarah Puls at sarah.puls@oem.oregon.gov.

RapidSOS and 911inform are constantly evolving to make sure Emergency Communication Centers have the tools and resources they need to save more lives. The two companies are holding a joint webinar at 11 a.m. on Dec. 15, covering an overview of the RapidSOS <> 911inform solution to date; new portal-based enhancements that have been developed for ECC telecommunicators; and new browser-based enhancements to ensure eligible events are attended to in the RapidSOS call queue. Learn more and register with RapidSOS.

Small nonfarm businesses in 18 Oregon counties have until Dec. 19 to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury to offset economic losses due to reduced revenues caused by drought that began April 15, 2022. The impacted counties include Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Douglas, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Linn, Marion, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco and Wheeler. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage. Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at the SBA website.

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), Housing Authority of Jackson County (HAJC) and partners broke ground on the much-awaited rebuilding of Royal Oaks, a manufactured home park in Medford that was destroyed by the September 2020 Almeda Fire. HAJC purchased the burned 21-acre Royal Oaks site with funding provided by the Oregon Legislature, and OHCS is supporting the development of the site with a portion of the $150 million the Oregon Legislature allocated for affordable housing for fire survivors. The housing community will include 118 modular homes and is expected to open in late 2023. The homes will be made available to low- and moderate-income households that lost a manufactured home that they owned in the Almeda or South Obenchain fires; former residents of Royal Oaks will receive priority for the new homes. Click here to read the full press release.

Oregon DEQ is offering free well-water testing in southern Deschutes County as part of a groundwater quality study. DEQ will test 60-100 wells in spring and fall 2023 for nitrate, bacteria, arsenic, pesticides and other contaminants and send property owners their individual results. The southern Deschutes County area has porous, volcanic soil and many shallow groundwater aquifers, both of which allow the potential for contamination. Possible sources of groundwater contamination include failing septic systems, current or prior application of fertilizers and pesticides, and leaking underground fuel tanks. DEQ will provide study participants with information on proper well maintenance, the health effects of common contaminants and options for water treatment. Learn more, including how to be considered for the study, at DEQ's website.

The Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) is building two large earthquake resistant concrete barrels to store water for the city. These two containers are the first of six planned installations across Eugene’s South Hills. Each container will be 35 feet tall, 212 feet in diameter, and be able to hold 7.5 million gallons. The tanks are designed with flexible piping that can bend without breaking in the event of an earthquake, as well as sensors to detect an earthquake and shut off valves to keep water in the tanks. EWEB expects to be done with the project in December 2023. Learn more at EWEB’s website.

The Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO) offers a document featuring over 100 winter weather safety messages in 26 languages. The organization encourages sharing these messages with communities before and during a winter weather event. The messages were selected to speak to those most impacted by winter events, including people living outside, people with low incomes, older adults vulnerable to cold, people with medical needs vulnerable to power outages, people hesitant to use heat because of the utility expenses, etc. The messages were gathered from many public and community partners in the Portland Metro region and translated by a local vendor with a focus on cultural competency. Languages include English, Arabic, Bosnian, Cambodian, Simplified Chinese, Chuukese, Farsi Persian, French (Togolese), Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Karen, Korean, Lao, Nepali, Rohingya, Romanian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Telugu, Thai, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Click here to view the Google document.

Social media is constantly changing, increasing the need to verify sources of information. Government agencies follow each other on social media to share official information from verified sources. OEM recently posted a Twitter thread offering best practices to help people identify official sources of emergency information on Twitter, including:

• Check the spelling of the agency name, location and when the account was created.
• Click the blue checkmark on Twitter profiles to see why it's verified.
• Check a Twitter account's Followers and Following lists. Do other government agencies and officials follow the profile? Do news media agencies follow the profile?
• Check multiple sources to verify emergency information.
• Check official government agency websites.
• Check what the agency posted on other social media platforms.
• Check local news media sources.
• If you suspect an imposter or false information, report it to Twitter.

The best way to verify official government social media profiles is to search for the agency website with a web browser. Most government websites provide links to their social media. The web address should match the link in the profile and be a trusted domain like ".gov."