Lane County has a new Emergency Manager. Tiffany Brown started in her position at the beginning of February. She previously served as Clatsop County Emergency Manager. Brown spoke with KLCC’s Rachael McDonald.
Rachael McDonald: You started this position as crews were still dealing with the aftermath of a major ice storm here in Lane County. Can you share what your role was in dealing with this disaster?
Tiffany Brown: I showed up on Monday, February 5th and so things were about a couple weeks past the original incident at that point. We are supporting our partners who are declaring damages and then hosting meetings with agency partners to figure out how we can do it better next time.
McDonald: Are there any obvious places where you see room for improvement?
Brown: You know, you don't need to be an emergency manager to know that there's always room for improvement in communications and that's certainly what we found. Communications between agencies and just broad communications across the public.
McDonald: So, as you're getting to know Lane County, what are some of the impressions that you've got in terms of what it needs to be doing in terms of overall emergency preparedness.
Brown: Well, I think this ice storm really helped people understand what it feels like to be isolated from one another. We talk about that a lot with respect to earthquakes and tsunamis on the coast, but it also happened in the ice storm and I don't think folks really thought through that as thoroughly as they could have. I think the ice storm brought those lessons. Also, you know, there's been a trend in the last few years. We've talked for years about being three days ready or having a 72-hour kit, and actually, in the last few years, that's changed. And now we talk about being two weeks ready. I don't know that people have heard that in recent years, but again, I think this recent event really brought home why it's important to have preparedness measures in place for up to two weeks. Certainly three days isn't sufficient for the types of events and disasters that we're seeing these days.
Well, I think this ice storm really helped people understand what it feels like to be isolated from one another.
McDonald: In your previous position I understand you were pretty involved with preparedness work specifically around the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. How can Lane County better prepare itself? It sounds like being two weeks ready is key.
Brown: It is. You know, on the coast we actually were leaning into six weeks ready if you're able. Isolation from Cascadia is something we think about a lot. On the north coast where I came from, Clatsop County was really considered ground zero for a Cascadia event in terms of injuries and fatalities and the people and property in the inundation zone.
And we talked a lot about how folks would be isolated from one another and the importance of personal preparedness. I think, as we already said, that lesson is carried forward with this ice storm. I think people were isolated in ways they hadn't imagined before the ice storm.
So I think anytime you have an event while it's recent in people's minds, whether that be individual, community members or agencies, it's a really good opportunity to apply lessons learned and, and get prepared for the next time.
McDonald: We're still recovering from the devastating 2020 wildfires. What do you think we need to do as a county to be better prepared for future wildfires?
Brown: I spent Friday traveling up the McKenzie River and meeting with some of the community partners that were responders and victims in the Holiday Farm Fire. And I think there's always more work to be done in terms of galvanizing a community to make it more resilient. Every event, every incident, every weather event serves to assist us in that way. I think continuing to work on it is really the key. Having an event, identifying where the gaps or areas of improvement exist and filling them for the next time.
McDonald: Well, anything else that you want to mention?
Brown: No, just that I'm delighted to be here. I am impressed by the agencies and the communities. That is the silver lining of having disasters, is that folks learn the importance of working together. And so I'm excited for the future.
