Welcome to the Partnership's web site

The Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (Partnership) is a coalition of public, private, and professional organizations working collectively toward the mission of creating a disaster resilient and sustainable state.  Developed and coordinated by the Community Service Center (CSC) at the University of Oregon the Partnership employs a service learning model to increase community capacity and enhance disaster safety and resilience statewide.  For more information about the partnership, what we do, or to access information about current projects, please use the navigation menus to the left.

August 5, 2010
The American Planning Association Releases its Latest PAS Report (560) Hazard Mitigation: Integrating Best Practices into Planning

The American Planning Association (APA), with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has released its latest PAS report (560) Hazard Mitigation: Integrating Best Practices into Planning, by James C. Schwab. The report seeks to close the gap that often exists between hazard mitigation planning and other local planning and regulatory land-use processes. It introduces hazard mitigation as a vital area of practice for planners; provides guidance on how to integrate...

July 19, 2010
Wild fire destroys 3 homes west of Yakima

COWICHE, Wash. (AP) — Fire officials say a wildfire in central Washington state has destroyed three homes and burned 8,500 acres.The fire, about 10 miles west-northwest of Yakima, started Sunday afternoon.As of nightfall on Sunday, as many as 100 other homes were threatened, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic website.Heavy winds were pushing the blaze toward an unknown number of homes.The fire earliler on Sunday was estimated to be burning on 3,000 acres and had sent a big plume of...

June 29, 2010
July 4 Fireworks Can Foil Family Fun

July 4 Fireworks Can Foil Family Fun -Don't Let the Fire in Fireworks Spoil Summer- Release Date: June 28, 2010 Release Number: R10-10-020 » 2010 Region X News Releases SEATTLE, Wash. -- Weather forecasts are mixed in the Pacific Northwest for this year’s Fourth of July...

June 23, 2010
FEMA Administrator Fugate Applauds President Obama's Appointment Of Kenneth Murphy As Regional Administrator

Release Date: June 17, 2010 Release Number: HQ-10-119 » 2010 Region X News Releases WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today applauded President Obama's appointment of Kenneth Dean Murphy as FEMA Regional Administrator for Region X, which encompasses Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. "...

June 11, 2010
National Lightning Safety Awareness Week Coming Up

SEATTLE, Wash. -- Observed the last full week of June, National Lightning Safety Awareness Week not only helps get safety messages out in time for the Fourth of July, but also signals summer as lightning season. Outside is the most dangerous place to be during a lightning or thunderstorm and more people are outside during the summer. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Regional Administrator Dennis Hunsinger, lightning strikes and high winds associated with...

June 4, 2010
O-DRU Update

The Oregon Disaster Resilient University (O-DRU) Initiative is moving forward. In fact, it has been moving all around Oregon. In May, OPDR staff visited Portland State University, Western Oregon University and Oregon State University to discuss the project specifics of creating campus natural hazard mitigation plans. In June, we will be meeting or visiting Southern Oregon University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Eastern Oregon University and the Oregon Health and Science University. Our...

May 25, 2010
New Earthquake Resarch out of Oregon State University

It's long been known that Oregon and the greater Pacific Northwest was at risk from a catastrophic Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. However, new research out of Oregon State University suggests the story is more nuanced than that. In short, Dr. Chris Goldfinger and his colleagues have determined that the likelihood of a large subduction zone quake is greater that previously thought, particularly along the southern Oregon coast. For more information about these new findings,...

May 24, 2010
AmeriCorp and Response and Recovery

CLINTON, Miss. -- A group of young, eager volunteers is gaining a world of public-service experience as Mississippi recovers from the severe storms and tornadoes of April 23-24.The 18- to 25-year-olds hail from all sections of the nation and are assisting the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency. Dozens of them have helped at one time or another with everything from debris removal to fence-mending in storm-impacted areas.The AmeriCorps youths and...

May 19, 2010
Building Under Peril

The Next American City is one of my favorite places to indulge in the topics and stories that urban planners adore, to say the least. In short, it's a "national quarterly magazine about making cities better." If you haven't taken a look, here's your nudge.Today, I wanted to see what the Next American City had to say about natural hazards - and true to form, they didn't disappoint. I found a [slightly dated but relevant] article entitled "Building...

May 18, 2010

May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption - USGS photograph by Austin Post.Thirty years ago today, my dad drove the two of us from our house in Gresham to a spot on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge. We sat on the hood of our blue Toyota Carola hatchback and watched in awe as Mount St. Helens erupted in catastrophic fashion. I can remember the mushroom shaped cloud of ash...

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