Current Committee Status:

The committee is on hiatus for the summer regarding radio practice. The current meeting time of 7:30 PM monthly on Sundays has proven to be a challenge. The last meeting was in April. Quarterly in-person meetings held at a community center to facilitate participation will likely be more successful.

There has been no progress on our work plan or the disaster plan, pending feedback from the board on the level of engagement desired, particularly concerning evacuations.

Engagement with Lane County COAD and City of Eugene:

I have participated in multiple trainings provided by Lane County COAD and the City of Eugene, focusing on heat safety, smoke safety, and alerting.

There have been significant changes in the City of Eugene Emergency Management. The Emergency Management Director has resigned and taken a new position in Corvallis.The two remaining analysts have been reassigned. A new Emergency Manager is being hired, and Lane County is expected to provide interim leadership.Tiffany Brown, the new Emergency Manager for Lane County, brings extensive training experience and will enhance educational opportunities for our neighbors and community partners.

The Lane County COAD has hired a Coordinator with funding from the Oregon Health Authority.They will provide training, particularly to rural and coastal partners, to increase resilience across the county.The past four years have demonstrated unmet needs in many communities during disasters. Efforts will be made to engage more faith-based communities and cultural organizations to foster better communication and collaboration. Neighborhood associations can play a crucial role in these initiatives.

In my upcoming meeting with the board, I plan to discuss the board’s engagement with other neighborhoods in South Eugene. It is essential to work more collaboratively around disaster preparedness since disasters like fire do not respect boundaries.