Portland Community Groups and Local Government Partners Prepare for Weather Emergencies

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Community organizations who serve Portland’s diverse communities are participating in the next in a series of exercises on extreme weather to prepare for emergencies. The emphasis of this exercise is extreme heat.

More than 35 Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) will put their extreme heat plans into action on Thursday, May 25. The tabletop exercise, the result of several months of planning and design by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM), is part of a recurring series of Community Outreach and Resilience events to build community preparedness and response capabilities during snow and ice, extreme summer heat, and wildfire seasons.

This exercise was designed by the National Weather Service to improve community resilience by practicing in a simulated scenario.

In addition to government agencies communicating their incident response plans to Community Based Organizations and Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COADs), those groups will discuss their experiences and preparedness actions for severe weather events.

“The last exercise helped us identify gaps in our emergency response protocols. We will build on that knowledge to learn from our communities how to best support them through extreme weather events to save lives,” said Regina Ingabire, Community Resilience Outreach Manager for the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management.

Participating Community Based Organizations include: 211info, AFHHO (African Family Holistic Health Organization), ARISE and Shine, AYCO (AFRICAN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION), Community Energy Project, Community for Positive Aging, Community Safety Division, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, Equitable Giving Circle, First Church Love, FolkTime, Growing Gardens, GUERRERAS LATINAS, Leaders Become Legends, Lloyd EcoDistrict, Native American Youth & Family Center, Ready Northwest/ CCHC, Rose Community Development, St. Johns Neighborhood Association, Street Roots, Togo Community Organization of Oregon and Torus.

Event partners: National Weather Service, Multnomah County Emergency Management, Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability – Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), PDX 311, Portland Parks & Recreation and more.