opinion

Oregonians can help themselves, others by preparing now for disaster

It’s no secret that Oregon is not prepared for the “Big One” if the Cascadia Subduction Zone quake were to occur today. The threat of a catastrophic (Richter Scale 9.0) earthquake in Oregon is real.

In January, my office released an audit finding Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is not prepared for a Cascadia event disaster, nor are they prepared for recurring disasters such as wildfires and flooding.

Even the OEM building itself has not been retrofitted to withstand a severe earthquake. Additionally, state and local governments are not meeting key standards of emergency preparedness.

A number of deficiencies weakening our state’s ability to deal with a catastrophic event include:

Oregon does not meet key emergency management program standards. These national baseline standards are a tool to strengthen preparedness and response, demonstrate accountability, and identify resource needs.

Planning efforts across all levels of Oregon’s emergency management system are lacking. Critical continuity plans that ensure functional government services in the wake of a disaster are either missing or incomplete. Additionally, insufficient staff resources put the state at risk of losing millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant funding for future disasters.

Current statewide staffing is inadequate to reduce Oregon’s vulnerability to disasters. OEM in particular is understaffed, despite repeated budget requests to the Legislature. This inhibits the agency’s capacity to coordinate emergency management efforts in the state.

More accountability is needed to ensure progress on preparedness goals and projects, and to enhance public awareness.

The audit recommendations may take months or years to implement. Even if fully implemented, the reality is that in a disaster on the scale of a Cascadia event, bridges will collapse, roads will be impassable, power and communications towers will topple, and government resources may not be available for days, weeks, or longer.

Communities of all sizes should listen to this information and take the necessary precautions now to protect themselves, including:

Preparing for sudden evacuation with an emergency 72-Hour Kit. You and those you love should have a backpack, athletic bag, or even a plastic trash bag containing emergency supplies.

Preparing your home with a two weeks of supplies. FEMA has valuable information on stocking your home for a two-week period of self-sufficiency.

Becoming a trained volunteer for your community. When a major disaster occurs, your community will need those who are trained in how to respond. Consider joining your local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) or the Citizen Corps. The Red Cross is often available where CERT and the Citizen Corps are not, and they also offer online and classroom training for volunteers who want to be ready to assist when a major disaster occurs.

Each of us should take immediate action to improve our individual, family, and community’s ability to respond to major natural or man-made disasters. We can do something to prepare for the future, and now is the time to start.

Reach Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson at 503-986-1523 or oregon.sos@oregon.gov​