Community Preparedness Library

Date	Title	Author	Relevant Interest Areas
2025.06.26	As FEMA Shrinks, a Grassroots Disaster Response Is Taking Shape	The New York Times/Emily Cochrane and Allison Joyce	NET, COAD
2025.06.07	Panelists in Taos County discuss lessons learned from Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire	The Taos News/Emery Veilleux	COAD, Recovery
2025.05.21	The Creation of FEMA: Historical Context	Alt-FEMA Newsletter
2020.08.27	Impact of COVID-19 on Oregon Charitable Nonprofits	Portland State University	COAD
2018.--.--	Oregon Nonprofit Disaster Preparedness: Finding from the 2018 Survey	Portland State University/Grace L. Chikoto-Schultz, et al.	COAD
2014.06.06	The impact of a natural disaster on altruistic behaviour and crime	Lemieux, Frederic	BEECN, NET

Portland Emergency Management Archives - Products

Files linked here are products of Portland's enterprise emergency management office. This list should not be treated as comprehensive.

Date	Title	Notes
2017.11.10	Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Building Policy Committee Report
2017.10.03	BEECN Guidelines
2017.02.--	Bureau of Emergency Management Services Omnibus Report: Telephone & Online Survey, Focus Groups
2016.08.20	NET Guidelines, second edition
2013.11.19	NET Guidelines, first edition
2004.11.14	2004 Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan	First major plan produced from POEM.
1998.05.27	Basic Emergency Services Plan
1953.02.06	Disaster Relief and Civil Defense: Emergency Traffic Control Plan

Portland Emergency Management Archives - Administrative

The files below concern the formation and administration of Portland's enterprise emergency management office. Not presented here are products of that office (e.g. reports and analyses). This list should not be treated as comprehensive.

Date	Title	Notes
2018.06.13	Resolution No. 37364: Direct the Bureau of Emergency Management, Bureau of Development Services, and Prosper Portland to develop Unreinforced Masonry Building Mandatory Retrofit Implementation Steps and return to Council for adoption within one year	Council's initial adoption of URM policy, which later failed owing to property owners suing Portland.
2012.10.17	Ordinance No. 185675: Authorize application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Community Resilience Innovation Challenge Grant for an award in the amount of $35,000 to fund additional equipment for the Neighborhood Emergency Communication Sites	This was an initial funding source for the program that would become BEECN (called "NECS" at the time).
2012.05.02	Ordinance No. 185304: Rename the Portland Office of Emergency Management to the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (Ordinance; amend Code Chapters3.724,3.125,3.126 and Code Section 2.12.020 and 15.08.010)	Renaming the bureau from the Portland Office of Emergency Management to the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management. Done so that the bureau be "consistent with the naming convention of City bureaus". Even though "POEM" was much cooler sounding.
2011.07.13	Ordinance No. 184740: Amend Code to improve coordination of the City emergency management system (Ordinance; replace Code Chapters 3.124, 3.125, 3.126, 15.04, 15.08 and repeal 15.12)	This was City Code housekeeping, but it was very important. Among other things, it entered the Portland NET program into City Code though NET had existed since 1994.
2010.05.01	Portland Auditor's Report - Emergency Management: Coordination limited and essential functions incomplete
2008.06.04	Resolution No. 36607: Rescind resolution which covered volunteers of the Portland Office of Emergency Management under the Workers' Compensation laws of the State of Oregon (Resolution; rescind Resolution No. 34841)	Since POEM no longer had office volunteers, appears prior resolution was rescinded as part of code cleanup.
2007.02.14	Mayor appoints new director of emergency office (Carmen Merlo)	Portland Business Journal commenting on the appointment of Carmen Merlo as POEM Director.
2006.03.23	Emergency management director appointed (Shawn Graff)	Portland Business Journal commenting on appointment of Shawn Graff as POEM Director. He remained in the job for less than a year.
2004.07.21	Ordinance No. 178616: Establish a new City bureau known as the Portland Office of Emergency Management (POEM). (Ordinance; amend Code Titles 3 and 15)	The Portland Office of Emergency Management (later changed to "Bureau") established as a City of Portland bureau.
1998.05.27	Ordinance No. 172303: Adopt revision to the Basic Emergency Services Plan and amend City Code to reflect changes (Ordinance introduced by Commissioner Kafoury; repeal City Code sections 15.04, 15.08 and 15.12 and adopt new City Code sections 15.04, 15.08 and 15.12)	Major piece of legislation that rewrites Portland City Code concerning disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. POEM is mentioned as an office of Portland Fire & Rescue, under the leadership of the Fire Chief.
1991.04.04	Resolution No. 34841: Declare intent to cover volunteers working with Portland Office of Emergency Management as workers under Workers' Compensation Law, ORS 656.001 to 656.794	Coverage for POEM volunteers helping at the Kelly Butte office. Rescinded 17 years later with Resolution No. 36607.