The Oregon Natural Hazards Workshop hosted a reception Wednesday in Salem to honor six Oregon counties and two cities for their work in preparing for natural disasters.
Lane, Yamhill, Marion, Polk, Linn and Benton counties each sent representatives to the reception to receive certificates from ONHW for their individual plans preparing for natural hazards. The cities of Scio and Albany were also honored during the event.
ONHW is an organization within the University’s Community Service Center that provides technical assistance and planning to communities to help with regional issues and make these communities more self sufficient, according to the ONHW Web site. Among the organization’s recent projects are several community hazard mitigation projects and the Disaster Resistant University Project, initiated earlier this year to protect the University from natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods and severe storms.
The group is currently working on the Oregon Showcase State Initiative with the Partners for Disaster Resistance and Resilience. Communities that completed local hazard mitigation plans in compliance with the initiative were honored at the reception.
ONHW director Andre LeDuc attended the event, said Bethany Johnson, a planner for the organization.
ONHW’s current mitigation project began in 2000, according to the ONHW Web site.