The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) has recently formalized the Oregon Disaster Recovery Plan (ODRP), a significant addition to the State of Oregon Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, OEM announced. Designed as a guiding light for disaster recovery operations, the plan positions itself to backstop local and tribal jurisdictions aiming to rebuild and rejuvenate communities post-calamity.
"The Oregon Disaster Recovery Plan strengthens our state's ability to support communities when disaster strikes," stated Governor Kotek, with emphasis on coordinated resource deployment and prioritizing equitable recovery. According to the OEM announcement, the ODRP shapes up following authority from Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 401 and dovetails with FEMA's National Disaster Recovery Framework, keen on incorporating insights from previous calamities like the 2020 Labor Day Wildfires.
OEM Director Erin McMahon outlined how the plan commits to bolstering communities, including individual households and businesses, to not only recover from disasters but also to come out more robust and fortified. "Recovery is a locally driven process, and this plan ensures the state is ready to provide the guidance, resources and coordination needed to support Oregon’s diverse communities," McMahon said, according to the OEM announcement.
True to its all-hazards approach, the ODRP outlines a recovery organization, specifies roles and responsibilities during such operations, and sets forth an equity vision, highlighting the commitment to support disproportionately affected communities. It enables a structured response with seven Recovery Support Functions (RSFs) that seek to streamline coordination and offer support.
Disasters, with their enduring influence on Oregon's communities, give the ODRP a cornerstone place in preemptive planning. With its adoption, OEM plans to convene quarterly meetings with recovery partners, finalize coordination and partnership annexes, and support local and tribal jurisdictions in community planning, affording training, exercises, and technical assistance, per the OEM announcement.
For the engaged citizen wanting to contribute, opportunities abound to volunteer with local recovery organizations or join local emergency response teams. OEM underscores that disaster response and recovery necessitate a collective community push. Being disaster-ready, they advise, starts with personal and household preparedness, from having adequate insurance to leveraging emergency readiness tools like OEM’s Be2WeeksReady Toolkit.
OEM continues to drive its mission of leading collaborative statewide efforts that span across all partners and communities, aiming to endow Oregonians with the capability to stay safe, mitigate risks, and bounce back from emergencies or disasters. Those seeking more information or requiring the ODRP in alternate formats are encouraged to reach out to OEM through the provided channels.
