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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER August 19, 2004 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www. ci.eugene.or, us EUGENE/SPRINGFIELD MULTI-HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN READY FOR PUBLIC REVIEW TEAM ADVENTURE AND REC & ROLL HELP SERVE SUMMER FUN FOR ALL SITES NEW MARQUEES COMING TO HULT CENTER CARTOON CONVEYS IMPORTANT STORMWATER MESSAGE WETLANDS RESEARCH STUDIES IMPACT OF RESTORATION TECHNIQUES ON SOIL, VEGETATION FRIENDS 2004 GIFT TO EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY- $70,000 Eu,qene/Sprin,qfield Multi-Hazard Mitiqation Plan Ready For Public Review The cities of Eugene/Springfield have been involved in a planning effort to develop a Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan in an effort to maintain eligibility for pre- and post- disaster mitigation funding available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The mitigation planning effort began as a four-county effort involving Lane, Lincoln, Linn and Benton counties after the floods in 1996. Although the floods in 1996 did not result in major damage to the Eugene/Springfield area, they did result in $280 million in damages and five deaths statewide. The President signed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-390) on October 30, 2000, which encourages and rewards local governments that are involved in mitigation planning. FEMA is requiring all U.S. communities, regions and states to produce mitigation plans for all naturally occurring hazards that may take place in their area in order to qualify for pre- and post- disaster mitigation project funding. Local communities are required to have their plans drafted and approved by their governing bodies, the State and FEMA by November 2004. The City of Eugene received a grant in FY02 from Oregon Emergency Management from funding made available through FEMA to build upon earlier work done in Lane County in developing a Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. Recognizing that a major natural disaster would not likely be limited to the Eugene area, the City of Springfield was invited to participate in the planning effort. Building upon the earlier mitigation planning efforts conducted in the four-county area, the City of Eugene contracted with Goettel & Associates Inc. to develop a plan specific to the Eugene/Springfield metro area. Goettel & Associates has been involved in a number of mitigation planning projects on the West Coast, including the plan for Clackamas County, which was the first approved plan in the nation. The City of Eugene's Emergency Management Program has taken the lead on the project under the direction of Chuck Solin, emergency manager. A technical advisory committee was established that included members from various City of Eugene and Springfield departments, local utilities, Army Corps of Engineers, etc. FEMA regulations require broad community participation in the planning process. This includes the involvement of community stakeholders in planning meetings, confirming community data about previous losses, and evaluating exposure to future events. The draft plan must first be presented to the public for feedback. Two public meetings are scheduled in September: · September 13, 6-8 p.m., Campbell Senior Center, 155 High Street, Eugene · September 16, 6-8 p.m., Springfield Public Library, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield Once public input has been integrated into the plan, it will be submitted to the respective city councils for formal adoption and submission to Oregon Emergency Management and FEMA. A work session on the plan is scheduled with the Eugene City Council on October 13. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 August 23, 2004