Multnomah County Emergency Management Monthly Newsletter
December 2021
Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management (MCEM) compiles this monthly email to provide information related to emergency management activities. If you have content for this newsletter, please submit to em.dutyofficer@multco.us by the 20th of each month.

For COVID-19 information and updates, visit Multnomah County's COVID-19 website.
Graphic showing a circle of arrows with the words Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, Recovery in a continuous cycle
Community input desired for Natural Hazards Mitigation Planning

Multnomah County is currently updating its Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan (NHMP) to identify strategies for reducing the impact of future natural disasters. This plan revision is being worked on jointly by Multnomah County, the Cities of Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale, and Wood Village, the Port of Portland and multiple Multnomah County Drainage Districts. The update will be completed in Spring 2022 and sent to FEMA for final adoption by November 2022.

The web page for this project has been updated, and includes a short survey about future natural disasters - people’s concerns, preparations, and strategy ideas. The page and survey will be available in Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese shortly - continue to check the web page for updates.

Comments and answers to the few questions will help improve the plan. When a draft plan is completed in early 2022, it will also be posted for additional comments.
Plan Seminar Events

Fuel Plan

MCEM is hosting a seminar event to kick off the Fuel Plan's training and exercise efforts on Monday, January 24th, 2022 to share the recently developed County's Emergency Fuel Plan. This event will share:
  • Overview of Plan content and components,
  • Prioritized projects/efforts to develop fuel preparedness and response,
  • Hear from the Oregon Department of Energy about their current priorities and projects, and
  • Address questions or comments from Plan partners.
The inside of a severely damaged building with lots of debris on the ground
Damage Assessment Plan

MCEM will be hosting a second seminar event to re-engage Damage Assessment Plan efforts on Thursday, January 27th, 2022 from 1300-1430. This Plan was completed in 2018, however full engagement has been challenging with County response activations. This event will share:
  • Overview of Plan content and components,
  • Prioritized projects/efforts to develop fuel preparedness and response,
  • Hear from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management about their resources, expectations, and priority projects.
  • Address questions or comments from Plan partners.

Event invitations will be opened/distributed at the beginning of January. Please reach out to Robert Quinn (robert.quinn@multco.us) with any questions or comments.
Snow and ice cover the street and cars during February storm in 2018
Interview of the Month: Winter Weather Logistics Priorities and Buildup

With winter fast approaching, we asked Celeste Duvall of the Joint Office of Homeless Services and Gail Zuro and Kirsten Kuppenbender from MCEM’s Logistics Division to tell us about priorities and preparations for upcoming winter weather. They told us about a new, collaborative approach to severe weather planning, overcoming winter weather transportation issues, and the effects of the persistent national supply chain delays.
Multnomah County's new Care for When It's Cold website will have the latest news on storms, warming centers and shelters, as well as tips and resources for how to stay safe at home and on the roads during the winter months.
Graphic with text: Train to be a severe weather shelter volunteer. Link with more info (https://www.tprojects.org/how-help-volunteer/cold-weather-support). Life-saving Severe Weather Shelters would not be possible without the help of community volunteers.
Train to be a Severe Weather Shelter Volunteer!

Help Transition Projects provide life-saving shelter this winter. Volunteers work alongside staff to set up, welcome, and support shelter guests overnight. Learn more.
Older phones & devices may cease operating in 2022

The National Association of State 911 Administrators is issuing a warning to consumers that older phones may stop working in early 2022 due to the retirement of 3G networks and support for phones and other devices using 3G service.

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have each announced that they plan on discontinuing 3G service in favor of 4G (LTE) and 5G service next year and will notify users of their services. However, users of older phones used solely to call 9-1-1 may not be notified if they do not have active service with the provider; this could include clients of organizations for the homeless or domestic violence shelters.

Low-income individuals who are concerned that their 9-1-1 only phones may no longer be supported should consider applying for service through the federal Lifeline Program.
Upcoming Training & Exercises Events

Please review upcoming training opportunities through the following events calendars: Multnomah County, the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization, the State of Oregon, and the State of Washington.

Below are some events we would like to highlight:
  • Training(s)
  • Logistics Section Cadre Meeting (12.10.21, 1000-1100): The County EOC Logistics Section is hosting a meeting this December to re-engage individuals who have previous experience with that work, and provide programmatic updates prior to winter weather operations. Please reach out to Robert Quinn (robert.quinn@multco.us) for more information.
  • Disaster Resource Center (DRC) Coordinator Training (12.20.21, 0900-1100): DCHS and the MCEM are hosting a virtual DRC Coordinator training in December to expand our cadre of trained individuals in preparation for winter weather operations.
  • County Fuel Plan Seminar (01.24.21, 1300-1430): This Seminar event will introduce the Fuel Plan to our partners and provide an overview of our priorities, ODE priorities, Plan content, and priority projects.
  • County Damage Assessment Plan Seminar (01.27.21, 1300-1430): This Seminar event will the re-introduce the Damage Assessment Plan to our partners, discuss current efforts and priorities, and hear from the State of Oregon about statewide efforts.
  • Exercise(s)
  • Regional Workshop Series on Transportation Resilience and Recovery
  • 12.08.21 - Regional Transportation Resilience Investment & Plans
  • January 2021 - Transportation Recovery Planning Best Practices
  • Quarterly MCEM Radio Drill (12.14.21, 1000-1030).
  • Integrated Emergency Management Course (03.14-03.17, 2022): The MCEM is hosting a FEMA IEMC event in March 2022 to bring together partners from around the County to prepare for the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake hazard together. This event will include 16 hours of seminar and training, and 16 hours of exercise opportunities for us to build preparedness collectively. Invitations will be distributed in December.
  • National Level Exercise (06.13-06.16, 2022): The FEMA NLE is coming to the Pacific Northwest in June 2022. This regional event will allow for regional partners and Federal Government partners to exercise the Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake scenario.
Have something you'd like to include in one of our future newsletters? We'd love to hear from you! To have your upcoming trainings, exercises, events, or other announcements added, please email em.dutyofficer@multco.us.

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