So much has happened here during my first quarter at OEM! And there is so much exciting stuff coming up!  It’s going to be hard to fit everything into one blog.

The Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC) Board of Directors recently announced the winners of the 2013 Awards in Excellence. The Overall Award in Excellence in the category of Mitigation Efforts went to the Oregon Emergency Management for the Oregon Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program (SRGP).For more information, check out: http://www.wsspc.org/news/news_files/eNews_Winter13.pdf. 

“Oregon Emergency Management is honored that it has been selected to receive the WSSPC 2013 Overall Award in Excellence for the Oregon Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program,” said OEM Director Martin Plotner. “The program helps protect the residents of the state by providing funding to rehabilitate schools and emergency facilities.”

For those interested in seeing some of the amazing work that has resulted from the Oregon SRGP, come meet us at Central Elementary School in Albany on April 24 at 9 am.  Central Elementary is one of the schools that received seismic retrofits through SRGP funding.  We will be holding an assembly there to talk about the progress of the SRGP, its impacts on Central Elementary, and its impacts on the entire State of Oregon.  There will also be a tour of the school in order to highlight the specific types of retrofits that can receive SRGP funding.   This is a great opportunity to learn more about the SRGP, to learn more about the importance of seismic safety, and to see exactly what a seismically-sound public elementary school looks like.  We will be joined by a number of State Officials and Legislators, as well as UO & OSU professors and seismic safety experts. Come join us!

The Governor’s Japan Tsunami Marine Debris (JTMD) Coordination Group held its quarterly meeting this past month.  A number of programs have been established to help mitigate the impacts of the spreading marine debris resulting from the March 2011 Japan tsunami.  This past month the Japan Environmental Action Network (JEAN), a nongovernmental organization, coordinated a visit to Oregon. Through this visit, JEAN and other participating Japanese organizations were able to share information about their disaster recovery efforts with U.S. audiences and do research on the tsunami debris showing up on North American shores. Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes welcomed the Japanese group and said their visit is important to her and to the people of Oregon. Hayes is founder and CEO of 3EStrategies, an environmental consulting firm. In the role of First Lady, she and “life partner” Governor John Kitzhaber have done several trade missions to Japan. Hayes does beach cleanups, convenes and speaks to groups about tsunami debris, and has filmed a public service announcement on the issue (seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtMkGz2qwE4).  For more information, read this article (http://ens-newswire.com/2013/02/18/oregon-welcomes-japanese-tsunami-debris-activists/) or check out the OEM website (http://www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/Pages/plans_train/tsunamis.aspx).

OEM has also scheduled the 2013 Tsunami Road Show at locations on the Oregon Coast.  The presentations will take place in Oregon coastal counties March 11-23. Residents will learn how to prepare for a tsunami should it strike the coast. Topics covered will include how to build an emergency kit, create an emergency plan, and prepare your family for a disaster.

“This will allow people to learn how to write their own survival story,” said Althea Rizzo, Ph.D., Oregon Emergency Management geologic hazards program coordinator, who is scheduled to present at the events.  For specific dates, times, and locations, check out: http://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/news/article_86a9032a-81fb-11e2-b8c5-0019bb2963f4.html or http://www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/Pages/2013-Tsunami-Road-Show.aspx. 

There is so much more awesome stuff going on here at OEM! However, if you want to learn more about it, you are going to have to read my next blog.  Check out the 2013 Tsunami Road Show this month, come out to Central Elementary School in Albany on April 24th, and make sure to keep reading my blog for alerts and updates.