Strengthening Disaster Resilience and Justice for Community Based Organizations in Oregon

Abstract

Oregon is experiencing increased frequency and severity of climate-related disasters, including wildfires, flooding, and smoke events. During and after these disasters, many communitybased organizations (CBOs) divert from their typical workload to support impacted communities. There is an increasing need to understand how CBOs support their own workers, interact with other organizations and government agencies, and hold and create safe spaces for community members during disasters. Our team partnered with the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette (UWCW) and Trauma Informed Oregon (TIO) to provide specific recommendations to the Disaster Resilience Learning Network (DRLN). The DRLN is a network of culturally specific and/ or people of color serving community-based organizations in Oregon. Through interviews with the DRLN and an analysis of relevant literature, the team aimed to understand challenges the DRLN faces and synthesize potential recommendations for continued disaster resilience. This report presents recommendations from disaster resilience literature in the context of challenges facing the DRLN.