The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) wants to hear your thoughts about our city’s newly proposed earthquake response document.

Having grown into a major city long before scientists discovered its unique seismic vulnerabilities, Portland is now expected to experience a potentially devastating earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or greater. Work is underway to identify those vulnerabilities and make Portland a more earthquake-resilient city. This work–now embodied in the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management’s new Earthquake Response Appendix–will help lessen the severity of an earthquake’s impact on residents.  See pp. 53-54 on how to prepare your household.

The Earthquake Response Appendix is a supplement to the City’s Basic Emergency Operations Plan and a framework for Portland’s ever-evolving approach to earthquake response. Soon, this document will reach Portland City Council for consideration. In the meantime, PBEM is asking the public to thoroughly examine the appendix and provide feedback.

To learn more about the threats facing Portland’s energy, water, sewer, transportation, communication and building infrastructures; to understand the roles elected leaders, city officials, emergency responders, the private sector and community-based organizations play in the context of earthquake response; and to understand the partnerships established among public and private agencies to help support this response, please read the appendix by clicking here.

To provide insight and comments about the document, click here and fill out the feedback form.