Oregon
Opinion: Oregon’s looming disasters call for wholesale change to fund, boost our preparedness
Paul Evans
Evans, a Democrat, represents House District 20-Monmouth in the Oregon Legislature. He co-chairs the Subcommittee on Public Safety for the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, and serves on the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans.
We live on borrowed time. We are overdue for a catastrophic seismic event in the magnitude of a possible 9.0+ on the Richter scale. Though many expect government to respond effectively, we are not prepared for a minutes–long quake, a miles–long tsunami, or the predictable post-event realities. In simplest terms, Oregon is failing to appropriately prepare for a disaster that threatens to be the largest, most destructive in American history.
When the Cascadia Subduction Zone rips, casualties will be measured in the thousands. The tsunami itself is estimated to kill at least 20,000 people. Thousands more will die because of the impacts triggered by minutes-long violent vibrations. The anticipated liquefaction will drop the ground beneath us, leveling or rendering useless most of our existing structures and forever altering the landscape of the Willamette Valley.
Unfortunately, the people killed in the quake and the tsunami represent a small fraction of the casualty projections. Right now, planners estimate emergency response operations in days, not hours; we forecast a recovery period lasting years, not months. Current resilience assessments suggest tens of thousands of additional deaths due to widespread scarcity of drinkable water, food, medical care, sanitation and shelter. The economic cost of such a disaster is expected to surpass $355 billion.
These eye-popping estimates are not hyperbole. We have witnessed the tragic aftermath of catastrophe in nations around the world. Even Japan, a nation that was well prepared for an 8.5 event, was devastated when hit with a 9.0 in 2011.
The scale, shape and size of the coming catastrophe can overwhelm us. We cannot prevent it. We cannot control it. However, we can reduce the risks. But that will require Oregonians to support a wholesale change in the way we approach and fund our disaster preparedness to match the seriousness of what we face.
Two bills before the Legislature, House Joint Resolution 201 and House Bill 4075, lay the foundation for how we can accelerate our preparation. If passed by legislators, HJR 201 would ask voters in November 2024 to approve a constitutional amendment to create a new statewide property tax for public safety.
If and only if, the voters approve HJR 201, new funding would go for all-hazards safety programming including more training opportunities for communities, coordinated “defensible space” fuels reduction efforts, property “hardening” grants, and other priority mitigation work. It would also pay for critical response and recovery staffing and supplies for largescale incidents. And Oregon would have a reliable mechanism to match federal funding for regional wildfire mitigation strategies in populated as well as unpopulated areas.
HB 4075 is a companion bill that provides guidance for sound implementation. It would create a task force empowered to develop the operating procedures and rules for transitioning the new statewide authority into a functional organization. The bill provides a transparent approach for executing the larger vision.
Together, HJR 201 and HB 4075 provide us with a desperately needed revenue stream with targeted outcomes and robust oversight. Admittedly, proposing a “new” revenue method is always controversial. There will be some who may misrepresent the approach as an attempt to fund problems beyond catastrophic disasters. Others may misunderstand how this tax would work. Whatever the case, it is essential for us to act sooner than later.
We have a duty to transform our circumstances through securing the resources necessary for expanded training for first responders, volunteers, and neighborhood teams. Passage of HJR 201/HB4075 would allow us to invest in improved facilities for responders and victims. It would give us opportunities that we have never had before to mitigate, and at times perhaps prevent catastrophic wildfire. And it would simultaneously boost our seismic response and recovery capabilities.
We have made significant progress in recent years, including modernizing our statewide emergency response structures and systems, deploying critical equipment to high-risk areas and making other essential improvements in statewide interoperability. But we must accelerate our work.
Benjamin Franklin once said that “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” We know the threats our region faces. The question is whether we will do what’s needed to prepare for them.
Although there is no singular “simple answer” to the challenges faced, we must begin with demanding permanent funding appropriately scaled to the task before us.
Passage of HJR 201 and HB 4075 can be the first step toward building a culture of resilience. Our lives, and the lives of our children may well depend upon it.
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Oregon
Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon under a high wind watch Monday and Tuesday
The National Weather Service issued a high wind watch at 9:29 p.m. on Sunday valid from Monday 4 p.m. until Tuesday 10 a.m. for Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon.
The weather service states, “Southeast winds 25 to 40 mph with gusts of 45 to 65 mph possible for the base of the northern Blue Mountains of Oregon.”
“Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” describes the weather service. “Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates.”
Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
No. 1 Oregon will face No. 8 Ohio State in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
With the rematch officially set, we’re taking a look back at the path the Ducks (13-0) took to reach the CFP as the top seed.
The season began with a clunky 24-14 win over Idaho. The right side of the offensive line was responsible for multiple penalties and three sacks to an FCS opponent that made for an unnecessarily difficult opener, even as Dillon Gabriel threw for 380 yards with two touchdowns to Tez Johnson.
Special teams rescued the Ducks in a 37-34 comeback over Boise State. Ashton Jeanty had 192 yards and three touchdowns to legitimize his Heisman candidacy. An 85-yard punt return touchdown by Johnson and a 100-yard kickoff return by Noah Whittington and recovery in the end zone by Jayden Limar erased a fourth quarter deficit. The offensive line made constant changes while allowing four sacks and committing five penalties in the unit’s most disjointed performance in years.
The early issues up front were gone as Iapani Laloulu took over at center in a 49-14 plastering of Oregon State. Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and ran for one as the offense gained 546 yards with 10 plays of 20-plus. The defense shutdown the Beavers ground game in the second half and UO secured its first win in Corvallis since 2018.
Following its first bye week of the season, Oregon officially opened Big Ten play at UCLA with a 34-13 rout at the Rose Bowl. A 28-3 lead was more than enough for the Ducks to coast and they held the Bruins to just 47 rushing yards.
Jordan James and Jordan Burch took center stage in a 31-10 Friday night drubbing of Michigan State at Autzen Stadium. James had 166 yards and a touchdown and Burch had 2.5 sacks and recovered a fumble. Two red zone interceptions by Gabriel made things briefly more competitive but the Ducks pulled away to setup a clash of undefeated titans.
The Oct. 12 game with Ohio State lived up to the billing as the top game of the season. There were seven lead changes in the 32-31 Ducks win over the Buckeyes, who were driving in the closing seconds and Will Howard slid at the UO 26 with time expiring. A deliberate 12 men on the field penalty by Oregon led to an in-season rules interpretation by the NCAA and provided further evidence of Dan Lanning’s preparation relative to Ryan Day. Even without Burch, who suffered a knee injury two days before the game, the Ducks were able to generate some pressure on Howard.
A Friday night trip to West Lafayette, Ind. will be remembered as Oregon’s first shutout since 2012. Purdue was hapless, throwing for less than 100 yards. Even with Traeshon Holden suspended and Terrance Ferguson out following an appendectomy, the Ducks were vastly better in every facet.
A 38-9 blowout of Illinois was filled with physicality in all phases. The defense had seven tackles for loss with three sacks, two interceptions and eight pass breakups to help build a 35-3 halftime lead.
Ferguson and Burch returned in a 38-17 beat down of Michigan at the Big House. The Ducks also suffered injuries to Johnson and Marcus Harper II but still managed to gain 470 yards and did not allow a sack against one of the best defensive lines in college football.
Gabriel broke the NCAA career touchdown record in a 39-18 win over Maryland. A season-high 12 penalties, particularly a couple of pass interference calls in the end zone, made the game more competitive than it truly was and Burch sprained his ankle.
Another fourth quarter comeback was required to escape Wisconsin with a 16-13 win. Gabriel found Ferguson on fourth and nine to open the fourth quarter and the defense closed it out with back-to-back three-and-outs, a fourth down stop and interception by Matayo Uiagalelei to cap an eighth straight conference win in as many weeks.
The second bye week allowed for Johnson to return for a 49-21 rout of Washington to cap a 12-0 regular season with Dan Lanning’s first win in the rivalry. Burch had 2.5 of Oregon’s 10 sacks and Uiagalelei had two. The Huskies ran for just 43 yards and could not stretch the field vertically.
A battle of top 10 defenses instead was a shootout in the Big Ten championship game, which Oregon won over Penn State 45-37 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Gabriel threw four touchdowns, with three going to tight ends, and the defense had two interceptions to help secure the conference title, No. 1 seed in the CFP and Rose Bowl berth.
CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl
- Who: No. 1 Oregon Ducks (13-0) vs. No. 8 Ohio State (11-2)
- When: Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Time: 2 p.m. PT
- Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
- TV channel: ESPN
- Stream: You can watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or by signing up for Sling (cheapest streaming plans, $25 off your first month). If you already have cable, you can also watch this game live on Watch ESPN with your cable or satellite provider login information.
- Oregon Ducks football 2024 season schedule, scores
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— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
The Oregon Ducks will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The Buckeyes handled business in the first round of the College Football Playoff and will now face the Ducks in the quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. PT on New Year’s Day.
What do the Vegas oddsmakers say about the upcoming matchup between Oregon and Ohio State?
The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes will play in the Rose Bowl for a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Buckeyes are coming off a 42-17 dismantling of the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the CFP. That performance was enough for Ohio State to now be a slight favorite over the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks.
It’s nearly a pick ‘em, but Ohio State is a one-point favorite as of now. The over/under is set at 53.5 points.
The odds makers have loved the Buckeyes all season, and they still do. Not only is Ohio State a slight favorite over Oregon, they also have better odds to win the national championship.
Texas is the overall favorite to win the national championship with odds of +340. Ohio State has the second best odds of +380. Oregon is third with odds of +400.
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Oregon and Ohio State treated the country to one of the best games of the 2024 regular season when they played in October. The Ducks outlasted the Buckeyes in a 32-31 thriller at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
The Ducks were underdogs in that game too, but prevailed and won outright. Now, the two will play against each other in the “Granddaddy of Them All” in the Rose Bowl. The winner will play the winner of the Texas-Arizona State game in the semi-finals.
What are the other games in the quarterfinal slate?
The quarterfinals in the College Football Playoff will kick off when No. 3 Boise State plays No. 6 Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl at 4:30 p.m. PT on Dec. 31.
The New Year will start off with No. 5 Texas and No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl at 10 a.m. PT on Jan. 1.
Following the Rose Bowl between Oregon and Ohio State to finish off the quarterfinals is No. 2 Georgia and No. 7 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl at 5:45 p.m. PT on New Year’s Day.
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