Neighborhood Emergency Team volunteers are now trained to inspect levees

On Friday, November 14, 2025, personnel with the Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District Training (UFSWQD) trained 22 Portland Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) volunteers to assist with levee inspection and debris removal.

The trained NET volunteers are now available to deploy with UFSWQD when Portland experiences high water events.

The UFSWQD manages 27 miles of levees that divert Columbia River and Lower Columbia Slough floodwaters away from properties within the District boundaries. Though the levee system is well maintained, there are still known areas with risk drivers that should receive special attention during emergency response.

Inspection during high water events is critical to ensure proper operation of the flood management system. By identifying problems early on, issues can be prevented or slowed down. During a flood emergency, monitoring the levee system condition is necessary to ensure that emergency risk reduction measures are initiated quickly to avoid adverse impacts of delayed response.

UFSWQD and PBEM project that Levee Inspection volunteers will be called on to deploy once or twice a year. This is a great intergovernmental partnership opportunity for both PBEM and the UFSWQD.

Neighborhood Emergency Teams (NETs) are Portland residents trained by PBEM and Portland Fire & Rescue to provide emergency planning and assistance within their own neighborhoods. 

Become a Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) volunteer