When, not if, the next great Cascadia subduction zone earthquake strikes the Pacific Northwest, Oregon will face the greatest challenge in its history. We cannot avoid the future earthquake, but we can choose either a future in which the earthquake results in grim damage and losses, or a future in which the earthquake is a manageable disaster without lasting impact. The Oregon legislature recognized the scale of this problem when it passed House Resolution 3 in 2011, noting the likely impact of a Cascadia earthquake and the need for a plan to move the state towards resilience to that event. The Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission (OSSPAC) was charged with developing a resilience plan, which is described in this report. The report summarizes the science of Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes and estimates their impacts; it then provides detailed analysis of the current vulnerability of our buildings and business community, and our transportation, energy, communication, and water/wastewater systems. The report defines the performance targets that each sector must meet to achieve adequate resilience, and provides detailed recommendations for the actions required to meet those targets over the next 50 years.
Oregon Resilience Plan:
- Oregon Resilience Plan Chapter 0 - Table of Contents
Oregon Resilience Plan Chapter 1 - Cascadia, Oregon's Greatest Natural Threat
Oregon Resilience Plan Chapter 2 - Business and Workforce Continuity
Oregon Resilience Plan Chapter 4 - Critical and Essential Buildings
Oregon Resilience Plan Chapter 7 - Information and Communications
Oregon Resilience Plan Chapter 8 - Water and Wastewater Systems
More information about the Oregon Resilience Plan can be found at https://www.oregon.gov/OEM/emresources/Plans_Assessments/Pages/Other-Plans.aspx
