It has been a while since I posted, but it has been a significant year for preparing for a Cascadia earthquake and tsunami. The Oregon Resilience Task Force finished their work in September and made their recommendations to the Governor and Legislature. Heading up their recommendations is the establishment of a Resilience Policy Advisor post in the Governor’s office, which was the primary recommendation of the Oregon Resilience Plan. The Task Force made their initial presentation of their recommendations to the Joint Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee, so the legislative process begins.
The Task Force also recommended $100 million for Seismic Upgrade Grants, which was trumped by Senator Courtney (a long time supporter of such grants) who is calling for a $200 million investment. In any case, the program should see a significant increase in funding.
The American Institute of Architects of Oregon and the Portland Chapter, has committed to making resilience a priority. It has held several symposium related to resilience and is making resilience a legislative priority.
The Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission (of which I am the Vice-Chair) has continued its work on the Oregon Resilience, focusing on social resilience. We have looked at health care and at-risk populations and are looking at creating an Oregon Resilience Plan 2.0 to add to the first effort, which focussed primarily on critical infrastructure. Research has shown that the social side of things is as important to recovery as the hard stuff.
I will posting more often going forward.