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Eugene -Springfield Area Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan <br />4. Risk and Vulnerability <br />Hazard Specific Findings <br />While flood and wildfire events have the potential to cause severe loss and damage in <br />localized areas, as well as, inconvenience for many and a drain on emergency response <br />resources, these hazards are not likely to result in systemic failures across multiple <br />sectors. <br />Much of our regional adaptive capacity stems from our ability to draw resources, <br />personnel, and expertise from nearby communities, particularly during an emergency. <br />This capacity is severely restricted during region -wide events. Severe earthquake, <br />winter storm, and, to a lesser degree, flooding events have the potential to cause region - <br />wide cascading system failures. <br />Earthquake — Specific Findings <br />The impacts resulting from a 9.0 Cascadia earthquake87 will be staggering. Results <br />from the Vulnerability Assessment determined: <br />• Except for Natural Systems, all sectors are extremely sensitive to an earthquake <br />of this magnitude. <br />• Very little has been done to prepare any systems, infrastructure, or personnel to <br />handle the initial impact and ongoing response and recovery a Cascadia <br />earthquake would require. <br />• Exceedingly limited staff availability in the aftermath of a severe earthquake <br />will create problems and challenges difficult to predict or solve. <br />• Every sector will experience substantial failures and interruptions unfamiliar to <br />the area and therefore difficult (though possible) to plan for. <br />• Very few locals have first-hand experience with a major earthquake, making it <br />difficult to describe the potential experience and aftermath. <br />Winter Storm — Specific Findings <br />Severe winter storms disrupt electricity and transportation, two of the three <br />sectors all others depend upon; especially if the storm lasts more than a couple <br />of days and has significant snow and/or ice accumulation. <br />Other Factors Considered <br />Dam Failure — Specific Findings <br />87 See the Oregon Resilience Plan: Reducing Risk and Improving Recovery for the Next Cascadia <br />Earthquake and Tsunami. Report to the 77th Legislative Assembly. <br />4-10 January 2020 <br />