Training Delivery through the Partnership with Portland State University

Posted on Aug. 10, 2018

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Oregon Coastal Planners participate in Community Planning for Disaster Recovery (AWR-356)

Through a partnership with Portland State University, Oregon coastal planners participated in the Community Planning for Disaster Recovery (AWR-356) course. The course was held in Nehalem, Oregon and enthusiastically welcomed by professionals from communities covering a 250 mile stretch of the coastline from Florence in the south to Astoria to the north. Community leaders and planners on the Oregon coast are very familiar with natural hazards, from annual windstorms and flooding events to the preparations for a large subduction zone earthquake. While communities have worked hard on preparation and response, recovery planning has not taken hold yet. Course participants included a diverse set of practitioners across local government: emergency managers, a police chief, a fire chief, volunteers as well as local planning staff and consultants. The course helped participants explore the challenges and opportunities of engaging recovery planning today, and before the event occurs. Through hands on exercises and reviews of national efforts for recovery planning, participants were able to return home with applicable tools and lessons. Great interest was expressed for additional offerings, especially by participants from the more distant communities. Instructors Paul Manson and Connie Ozawa used connections from a prior research project to set up the location and reach out to prospective participants.