FLOOD03743

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: 25th Annual Celebration Hazards Research and Applications Workshop
• Date: 7/9/2000
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

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Andre LeDuc
Project Managerffechnology Specialist
Conununity Service Center
Department of Planning, Public Policy, & Management
1209 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1209
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

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PLANNING FOR NATURAL HAZARDS:
THE OREGON TECHNICAL RESOURCE GUIDE PROJECT

The initial concept of developing a technical resource guide C8IIle from a Goal 7 research project conducted by the University of
Oregon's Conununity Planning Workshop (CPW). Working under contract for the Oregon Department of Land Conservation
and Development (DLCD), CPW evalualed the effectiveness of Statewide Land Use Planning Goal 7 _ Areas Subject to
Natural Disasters and Hazards. One of the key conelusions of the Goal 7 evaluation was that local jurisdictions often had
difficulty finding information and resources, obtaining technical assistance, and generally communicating with appropriate
agency staff when reviewing proposals for development in hazlIrdous areas.

The emphasis of this docwnent is on local comprehensive land use planning and development review. To address these issues,
the Natural Hazards Technical Resource Guide is intended to outline, clarity and document resources for understanding and
implementing effective land use plans, \\hich address natural bazards issues at the local level. The primary tools a conununity
has to accomplish effective natural hazards mitigation are the natural hazards element of its comprehensive plan. its zoning
code, and its subdivision ordinances. Many other secondary tools exist that apply both regulatory and non-regulatory tools for
local hazard mitigation.

The Technical Resource Guide (TRG) is written for a wide audience and is designed to be a useful tool for anyone from a city
clerk to a planning collUnissioner or city councilor. The TRG not only provides substantive infonnation on how to identify, plan
for, and address natural hazards, but it also directs local governments to additional resources and infonnation \\hich may be .
needed to solve local problems.

The Natural Hazards TRG is organized into three main components:
( I) Comprehensive Planning
(2) Legal Issues of Planning
(3) Hazard Specific Planning

The comprehensive planning component is covered in the first two chapters of the TRG. Chapter I provides local governments
with comprehensive plan review tool in the fonn of a review. This evaluation tool is not designed to judge whether a local
comprehensive plan is good or had, nor is it designed to rank the quality of an individual plan. Rather, the questionnaire is
designed to identifY the strengths and weaknesses of the plan. This evaluation may serve to assist a local government in
determining whether lUIlendments may be necessary in order to achieve the community's goals for nalurlli hazards planning.

Chapter 2 begins with a discussion of Oregon's land use planning system and the required elements for any comprehensive plan
document adopted by a local government

Chapter 3, \\hich addresses legal issues in natural hazard planning, provides a brief overview of some of the legal requirements
and duties that are imposed on local governments hy state and federal law. The final chapters address flood, landslide, coastal,
wildfrre and seismic hazards. Each of these chapters begins with an introduction that provides an overview of the chapters
contents. The introduction is followed by five sections that pose= and answer the following questions:
(I) Is your conununity threatened by natural hazBrds?
(2) What are the laws in Oregon for natural hazards?
(3) How can your community reduce risk from natural hazards?
(4) How are Oregon conununities addressing natural hazards?
(5) Where can your COlfl11lunity find resources to plan for nalurlli hazards?

These hazard-specific chapters are designed to assist a local government in rolling up its sleeves and getting to work on
developing long-term plans, along with the hazard specific ordinances to implement those plans.

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