Union County receiving emergency shelter kits through state Resilience Hub program

UNION COUNTY – Earlier this Month, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) announced the latest recipients for the Resilience Hubs and Networks Grant Program, Union County among them. With new equipment provided by the grant, Union County Emergency Services will join 87 other organizations and municipalities across the state preparing for major emergencies through the establishment of new resilience hubs. 

For those unfamiliar, the Resilience Hubs and Networks Grants Program was funded in 2023 via House Bill 3409, which provided $10 million dollars to develop the hubs and networks. As defined by the OHA in a recent release:

“A resilience hub is a location where people come together daily to share resources, support one another and find resources during emergencies. A resilience network is an association of facilities, organizations, resource providers or service providers outside of a physical resilience hub facility that collectively serve the purposes of a resilience hub.”

For Union County, this comes in the form of emergency equipment and supplies to support shelter operations during major emergencies. Specifically, the county is expecting to receive a one Type 2 shelter kit and one Type 5 shelter kit later this spring. These kits, ready packed in containers, include everything from storage space, lighting and heating equipment, sanitation and plumbing infrastructure, medical supplies, rations, and even communications equipment. (See the full list attached at the end of this article). As described by Union County Emergency Manager Nick Vora:

“The equipment we’re receiving through ODHS-OREM will allow Union County to have pre-staged supplies to facilitate emergency shelter operations at resilience hubs during emergencies ranging from a local wildfire affecting a few dozen people to a devastating regional earthquake. By having locations designated, we can not only plan for on-site operations before the incident, but we can also be strategic in our investments related to emergency capabilities.”

The smaller type 5 kit will be stored in the Elgin area while two containers holding the larger type 2 kit will be stored in the La Grande area. Union County is currently in talks with the state’s contractor regarding site requirements and preparation.

Though a boon, the kits and supplies represent only one facet of Union County’s ongoing efforts to improve local emergency preparedness and resilience. Other areas county emergency services have been improving include new evacuation planning, interagency coordination, and volunteer training, among others. The public too can do their part by being proactive in personal preparedness. As explained again by Vora:

“We can’t do it alone, and I strongly encourage everyone to do their part to ensure that they have basic emergency supplies and personal or household emergency plans that they discuss with those close to them. Basic personal preparedness alone can be the difference between a temporary inconvenience and a true emergency requiring outside assistance.”

For those wanting more information on personal preparedness, Vora recommends county residents look at the resources available by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management at: https://www.oregon.gov/oem/hazardsprep/pages/2-weeks-ready.aspx

Full list of kit supplies below:

**A stock image of emergency water supplies was used for this article and is not representative of all supplies included in the kits. Please see the “type 2” and “type 5” categories in the document above for the full list of supplies provided to Union County.

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