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Eugene -Springfield Area Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan <br />News from Region 10 <br />Hazard Mitigation <br />Planning Can Be Fun! <br />The City of Eugene shows us how <br />Eugene -Springfield Natural Hazards <br />Mitigation Planning (NHMP) staff, <br />with guidance from OEM and FEMA <br />mitigation experts, decided to switch <br />tactics for their 2020 NHMP update <br />to generate more public involvement. <br />The new outreach efforts started May <br />171h at Eugene's annual Public <br />Works Day. Staff wanted to <br />determine if there were any gaps <br />between children and adults in their <br />understanding of hazards. <br />Recognizing today's children will <br />manage and influence the plan in 5, <br />10, or 15 years, staff developed an <br />activity both children and adults <br />could participate in and understand <br />while helping guide planning efforts. <br />It was a fast -paced, hands-on event <br />with thousands of people attending. <br />Children and adults talked with staff <br />to learn some of what goes on behind <br />the scenes with the NHMP. While at <br />the booth, participants ranked the <br />natural hazards they thought were the <br />most important to "be stronger <br />against." People were eager to <br />engage with staff. Many were <br />surprised and interested to learn there <br />are people employed in mitigating <br />natural hazards for their community. <br />People asked a host of questions <br />concerning the NHMP and natural <br />hazards the City of Eugene faces. <br />Responses from the event produced <br />some surprising results. One thing <br />the City recognized was how <br />comparable the public's view of risk <br />was to the NHMP Project Team's <br />risk assessment for the City. Many of <br />the children seemed to have a <br />realistic gasp on many of the <br />Figure B-3. Public Works Day <br />hazards in question. Very few <br />children placed their vote on winter <br />storms while several adults did. We <br />believe this is due to adults <br />remembering the devastating Ice <br />Storm of 2016 and "snow days" are <br />hoped for by children across the <br />nation. Making NHMP outreach <br />more engaging and hands-on proved <br />successful and far surpassed the <br />expectations of NHMP staff. <br />The next large event will be a <br />"Disaster Movie in the Park" on <br />August 31st. Eugene Water and <br />Electric Board (EFJEB) and the City <br />of Eugene, along with support from <br />the City of Springfield, Rainbow <br />Water District, and Springfield <br />Utility Board (SUB), will be <br />partnering to host this event. The <br />format will be similar to the Public <br />Works Day NHMP outreach. <br />Attendees will be asked to vote on <br />specific mitigation action items they <br />would like to see completed followed <br />by an interactive disaster movie. <br />— Jessica Gourley is an Emergency <br />ManagementAnalyst with the City of <br />Eugene, Oregon. For more <br />information about the event, email <br />Jessica.KGourlev(n)ci.eurene.or. us. <br />dskMAP <br />Increasing Resilience Together <br />6. Appendices <br />6-31 <br />January 2020 <br />