July 6, 2022 3:30 a.m. 

On Friday, Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management began to officially operate as the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

An OEM release said the transition is a result of House Bill 2927, passed in 2021, and established OEM as a stand-alone cabinet-level department reporting directly to the governor. The agency previously served as a division of the Oregon Military Department since its founding in 1981.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown said, “For our communities, for our state, and for our economies to continue to thrive, Oregon must be resilient and ready to recover from natural disasters”. Brown said, “By prioritizing emergency management, we are ensuring that Oregon is better prepared and ready for such events. Standing up the Oregon Department of Emergency Management will strengthen coordination and response between local, tribal, state and federal jurisdictions and communities, helping to save lives, protect our critical infrastructure and prepare Oregon communities across the state before the next catastrophic event occurs”.

Oregon Department of Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps said the disasters of the last few years brought the agency – and emergency management as a whole – to the forefront in a way no one could have anticipated. He said this establishment better positions their organization to prioritize risk reduction and mitigation efforts while maintaining local support statewide for managing the consequences of disasters.