1996 High Water Flood

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City of Portland Official High Water Flood After Action Report (AAR)

Executive Summary

The Basic Emergency Plan was approved by the Mayor and City Council on May 1^st of 1996. The quotes following are from the '96 plan which has been updated as of January 1997.

"The-purpose of the City of Portland Plan is to assist Portland City government in minimizing the adverse effects to life and property from natural and man-caused disasters."

Bureaus listed in the 1996 Plan are Fire, Parks, Buildings, General Services, Purchasing, Transportation Engineering, Traffic Management, Maintenance, Emergency Communications, Water, Environmental Services, City Attorney, Police, Office of Finance & Administration, Records and Archives, and the Office of Neighborhood Associations.

#1 Basic Plan Issue

"The situations addressed by this Plan are those in which the actions of many different bureaus must be coordinated."

Identified Need

Continue to identify Bureaus needing to be more involved or involved at different levels. Reassignment of employees, volunteer management and section job descriptions have been identified as areas needing attention.

Planned Action

As of January, 1997 the Basic Plan revision includes reference to job descriptions, including time commitments, and bureau tasks. This will facilitate greater City-wide coordination for the emergency management process. A plan for recruitment and training will be developed for incoming and retained EOC responders.

#2 Basic Plan Issue

"It is important to realize that no one bureau is going to rescue a City during a disaster situation. Further, it is true that City government agencies will not possess all resources and talent necessary to protect the citizens of the City."

Identified Need

For those who participate as EOC responders, a greater understanding of Bureau resources, responsibilities and capabilities has developed as a result of the relationships built during training, exercises, and actual occurrences. This coordination and familiarization is a subsequent benefit from the process of preparing to respond as a City unified force. The need here is to continue to refine each bureaus and employees' capabilities and responsibilities during a disaster.

Planned Action

The understanding of each Bureau's responsibility as a primary or secondary responder, their identification of personnel and definition of their duties during emergency activation needs to be decided upon and made a part of their Basic Plans. As developed, these Bureau specific decisions, will be incorporated into the plan.

#3 Basic Plan Issue

"For this reason, the City has endorsed a three tier EMC concept. This concept blends the legal mandates of the government structure with the private resources of the community. By working together and maintaining open lines of communication, we will be able to field and coordinate a tremendous amount of resources and talent."

Identified Need

The responsibility of the EMC as outlined in the Basic Plan on page 9 is to "plan exercise schedule, budget recommendations, public education, update bureau and office plans, coordinate training, make recommendations to the Disaster Policy Council (DRC), meet as necessary and involve bureaus and office directors." The Mayor and Council has approved the plan with these responsibilities listed and yet it is uncertain whether all EMC members recognize their part in City Emergencies. These responsibilities need to be clarified and reaffirmed by the EMC.

Planned Action

As of January, 1997 the job description of the EMC will be changed to" Approve exercise schedule; coordinate public education; make budget recommendations; coordinate Bureau and Office plans with the Basic Plan; approve training coordination; Make recommendations to the Disaster Policy Council" in the Basic Plan.

#4 Basic Plan Issue

"The Chief of the Portland Bureau of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, the Emergency Manager and the Portland Office of Emergency Management (POEM) are charged with the responsibility to develop and implement an all hazards emergency management plan in the City of Portland."

Identified Need

POEM needs to continue giving assistance in Basic Plan compliance through training, exercises, and technical expertise. POEM will continue to integrate the results of exercises and actual events into the development of the all hazards plan.

Planned Action

The EMC, through its growth and development, will further identify and define the responsibilities of the bureaus and continue to facilitate a cooperative working environment. Future exercises will incorporate appropriate sections of the Basic Plan.

#5 Basic Plan Issue

"This Plan attempts to define in a straight forward manner who does what, when, where, and how in order to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the effects of disasters."

Under the authority of Title 15(15.12.020) requires annual review, training and evaluation of City Bureaus and offices assigned emergency responsibilities.

"City Bureaus and offices assigned emergency responsibilities have the following tasks:

• Establish line of succession and provide personnel to the EOC as required.
• Assure that employees are aware of emergency situation and protective actions to be taken. ·
• Accomplish any special training which may be required.
• Protect vital records.
• Accomplish primary or support functions as indicated in the primary or support functions matrix.
• Develop and maintain/update operation procedures to accomplish primary and support functions.
• Provide available information on operations status to POEM to support reporting requirements.
• Participate in and assign personnel to the EMC who have the authority to speak for and commit their bureaus' resources."

"Government entities complying with this Plan shall not be liable for injury, death, or loss of property except in cases of willful misconduct or gross negligence."

"The Assumptions outlined in the Plan are that essential City services will be maintained as long as conditions permit."

Identified Need

The plan needs to better define Bureau involvement.

Planned Action

The EMC will review and approve the update of Plan (as prepared by POEM Staff) to define and determine bureau and employee involvement. This updated plan should be submitted to the DPC for approval.

#6 Basic Plan Issue

"A disaster occurrence will require prompt and effective emergency response and recovery operations by the City government.''

Identified Need

Need better continuity between response and recovery phases.

Planned Action

Training, identified in review of the flood. will be developed to provide responders with a greater understanding of the relationship between the phases and transitional process.

#7 Basic Plan Issue

"Secondary city emergency operations will be based on the principle of self-help."

Identified Need

Need greater understanding of complimentary aspects of Neighborhood Emergency Teams to the functions of Emergency Responders; More employee training on emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery in the workplace and at home; Task specific training for sections such as crisis communication; More public education on disaster planning for organizations, businesses and industry.

Planned Action

NET training continues to instruct citizens in 72 hour self sufficiency in the time of an emergency. Greater employee training is in the planning stage. Business and industry training is available through the Fire Bureau, Red Cross and other agencies. Inside Line will release regionally coordinated messages in January. The Flood Mitigation Workgroup recommended the development of an outreach and public information program to inform people of flood and landslide risks, mitigation measures and flood insurance.

#8 Basic Plan Issue

"City government will bear the responsibility for utilizing all available local resources."

Identified Need

Identification of local resources is a part of the planning and exercise process. POEM needs to develop city legislation necessary to avoid gouging by vendors and contractors during emergencies. This legislation should not only protect city agencies but the general public. The Logistics Section needs to continue to compile a list of contracted vendors.

Planned Action

The EMC will be asked to review the proposed legislation. The Logistics section Chiefs will be encouraged to compile a list.

#9 Basic Plan Issue

"Day to Day functions that do not contribute directly to the emergency may be suspended for the duration of any emergency. The efforts that would normally be required for those functions will be redirected to the accomplishment of emergency task by the bureaus or agencies concerned."

Identified Need

Disaster responders need to be excused from their normal responsibilities until they are no longer needed at the EOC or in the field/task. They also need to be available on an as needed basis during the recovery phase. Bureaus need to identify non-critical City functions that can be suspended during a disaster and those who can be reassigned to accomplish critical functions.

Planned Action

The Bureau plans will reflect the aforementioned concept of critical/non-critical operations of their work and workforce.

#10 Basic Plan Issue

"Portland will structure its response to and management of a disaster by using the Incident Command System ... "

Identified Need

Bureau Managers and key personnel need to develop and exercise disaster plans in accordance with the Incident Command System. Identify Bureau emergency operations personnel, develop Bureau specific emergency plans and provide training and exercises for their personnel.

Planned Action

The EMC will be asked to address this issue at their own bureau level.

River level graph on page 11 of the original AAR document. The graph doesn't clarify the Columbia or Willamette river, only saying that readings are taken at the I-5 bridge.

Emergency Operations Center

This part of the After Action Report summarizes the activities that occurred during the Flood of 96 coined "Highwater II" from the perspective of the responders to the Portland Emergency Operations Center (EOC), 9911 SE Bush (Powell and 99th) Portland, Oregon from February 6th 1996 to February 15^th 1996.

The Center functions as a meeting place where decision-makers of City Bureaus and liaison organizations, trained in the incident command system (ICS), can discuss and decide the priorities of the disaster and how to best use the resources available.

Authority

Chapter 15.04 of the City Code outlines the authority of the Portland Office of Emergency Management under the direction of the Mayor and supervised by the Fire Chief. The code outlines the authority of the Portland Office of Emergency Management during a declared disaster and in preparation for a disaster.

Introduction

"In Downtown Portland, the Willamette crested at 28.6 feet, the top of the harbor wall. Downstream, the Columbia hissed at double the normal current - half again bigger than the Mississippi.

Thousands lined the waterfront for a peek at the Willamette, awash in logs and heartache. The river's power was humbling. A line from T.S. Eliot echoed: 'I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river is a strong brown god - sullen, untamed and intractable.'

Floodwaters tore through Tualatin, Oregon City and Lake Oswego. Rising waters and tumbling hillsides isolated Tillamook and devastated the Columbia County towns of Vernonia, Clatskanie and Mist.

Mud and ruin spilled, but a curious value surfaced. The flood bound people in ways urban life rarely does. Volunteers erected a plywood barrier along Portland's harbor wall. Strangers hauled furniture for people they'll never meet again. Convicts loaded sandbags.

Young people led the way. Students from Milwaukie and Rex Putnam high schools reached out to Oak Grove. West Linn students sandbagged a flooded restaurant in arch rival Oregon City. Oregon City, Lake Oswego and Tigard students traded schoolbooks for shovels.

Across Oregon, selfless acts knit a new definition of community. Under the worst conditions, many Oregonians put strangers first in the miracle that is the human spirit."

February 18th Sunday Oregonian Special Section, Brian T. Meehan

Disaster Policy Council

The Disaster Policy Council is responsible for making recommendations on City Policy to the Mayor. They are also to be the media contact, the liaison with federal, state and local officials, provide necessary resources and make policy decisions. They prioritize resource allocation for the City's coordinated effort to respond, mitigate, prepare and recover from disasters. The Disaster Policy Council is also responsible for deciding what actions can be taken to ensure that the City's response is at its maximum capacity.

The major concerns that surfaced during the event revolved around needed policies, training, and resources. The Disaster Policy Council needs to assure continuity of essential government services and allocate sufficient resources to their operations during a disaster. All City personnel need to be trained in their emergency response duties, including Managers and Supervisors, everyone must know what is expected of them, where they are to go and what they are to do in a professional and organized manner.

Incident Commander

The responsibilities of the Incident Commander (IC) include the overall management of the command and general staff at the EOC who are managing the City's response to the flood. Other duties include the development of strategic goals and incident objectives, and ordering and releasing resources. The Incident Commander needed to conduct more frequent briefings for the entire group of responders.

Operations

The mission of the Operations Section is to respond to the emergency and take whatever action necessary. This involves the development and implementation of all tactical operations necessary to achieve the Incident Commander's strategic goals, and management and coordination of all resources assigned to the flood fight. Representatives of City Bureaus of Water, Fire, Buildings, Maintenance, Police and Parks were in the Operations Section.

Lessons

Operations needed to have a field or area commander with staff (minimum one PIO, Logistics representative, and Planning Representative) at each major incident location, i.e. The "Harbor Wall", Willamette River, Johnson Creek, Holgate Lake, NE Marine Drive Levee, Hayden Island, and some complexes of slides etc. Individual bureau Emergency Operation Centers needed to use ICS so they could better understand and communicate with the Portland EOC. Bureau Incident Action Plans needed to be shared with the City EOG to enhance coordination.

In summation of the respondents input, communications inside the EOC and both into and from the community needs improvement. The level of technology of the equipment, capability of responders to use the equipment, and the placement of the communications equipment was out of synch and needs more attention. Information was non-uniformly relayed at shift change and could have been more efficiently transmitted through the use of visuals and written plans. It was said repeatedly that clerical support for each section were necessary for logging and reporting of information.