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1. Does Oregon City have a natural hazards mitigation plan (NHMP)?

Yes. Clackamas County originally adopted their NHMP in 2002 and updated it in 2007. Oregon City was incorporated into the plan through an addendum in 2009. Since that time, Clackamas County adopted a new Clackamas County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan in 2012 and 2019. The latest Oregon City Addendum to the NHMP was approved by FEMA on September 25, 2019.

2. What does a natural hazards mitigation plan do?

A natural hazards mitigation plan provides a community with a set of goals, action items, and resources designed to reduce risk from future natural disaster events. The process of developing a mitigation plan can also forge new partnerships among community organizations, businesses, and local citizens. These partnerships can lead to the development and implementation of risk reduction strategies that assist the community in reducing losses from any future natural disaster events.

Engaging in mitigation activities provides jurisdictions with a number of benefits, including:

• Reduced loss of life, property, essential services, critical facilities and economic hardship
• Reduced short-term and long-term recovery and reconstruction costs
• Increased cooperation and communication within the community through the planning process
• Increased potential for state and federal funding for recovery and reconstruction projects

In 2000, Congress approved the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K). DMA2K set forth requirements for communities to develop and adopt local natural hazard mitigation plans to become eligible for mitigation grant funding, including FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program.

3. How did Clackamas County help with this process?

Clackamas County adopted their Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2002, updated it in 2007 and 2012, and then adopted a new plan in 2019. Each city under their jurisdiction were encouraged to prepare an addendum to the County's Plan. To assist in this process, Clackamas County partnered with the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (OPDR) at the University of Oregon to hire a Resource Assistance for Rural Environments Participant (RARE Participant). The RARE Participant was hired using funds made available through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and worked with each participating city in developing an addendum to Clackamas County's Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. City of Oregon City staff and other volunteers worked with the RARE Participant to develop the addendum to the County's Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan, which is now referred to as the Clackamas County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.