FEMA Region X – Risk MAP Discovery Interview
Lower Willamette - Tualatin Watersheds
City of Portland, Oregon
August 16, 2012; 12:00pm Pacific Time
City of Portland
Sallie Edmonds – Manager, River and Watershed Planning, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Maggie Skenderian – Johnson Creek Watershed Manager, Bureau of Environmental Services
Roberta Jortner – Senior Environmental Planner, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Doug Morgan – Supervising Engineer/Floodplain Administrator, Bureau of Development Services
Kevin Martin – Technical Services Manager /GIS, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Eli Callison - Environmental Tech, Bureau of Environmental Services
Courtney Duke – Senior Planner, Bureau of Transportation
Mindy Brooks – Environmental Tech, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Andria Jacobs – Manager, Clean Energy, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
FEMA Region X
Dave Ratté – Regional Engineer
Brett Holt - Mitigation Planner
Oregon DLCD
Steve Lucker – State Risk MAP Coordinator
STARR (FEMA Contractor)
Becca Croft – Interviewer
Jonathan Johnson – GIS Specialist
Gregg Pickett – Recorder
The following information was collected during the Interview. Unless otherwise noted, all comments are
from the City of Portland representatives.
I.
Contacts
 The contact list was updated and expanded with additional city representatives, address
and email additions, etc.
STARR (J. Johnson) reviewed the GIS data that has been collected for the city of Portland and explained
the types of additional data that could be beneficial to the project: parks, environmentally sensitive
areas, critical habitats, building footprints, parcels, topographic data (LiDAR, etc.).
II.
Topography, LiDAR, and GIS
 The City has a close relationship with Metro, so the data obtained from Metro will be
the best data available. Anything from Metro requiring a subscription service can be
obtained free of charge from the City of Portland.
 LiDAR is available from the City, as well as landslide, soil liquefaction, building footprints,
and many other types of data.
 Earthquake data did not come from Metro. It likely came from DOGAMI.
 Map of the 1996 Flood is available, and it shows the inundation area within the city.
 Aerial photographs showing flooding along Johnson Creek is available.
Risk MAP Discovery Interview – Lower Willamette - Tualatin Watersheds
City of Portland – August 16, 2012
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III.
IV.
V.
VI.
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Flood depth data is available for some areas, including Johnson Creek.
A CLOMR is underway on Johnson Creek, and this was annotated on the display map.
Stream restoration work is also underway in the same area, with will allow some
additional flood storage capability.
Planning
 The City has a Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) that was adopted in 2010. The plan
includes 8 or 9 different hazard areas. It was unknown if any data layers are directly
associated with the plan. The City believes there is text, but no map, associated with
the plan.
 The HMP lists specific projects, and prioritizes them.
 Previous mitigation grants include fire-related mitigation in natural areas, evasive plant
removal, controlled burns, pre-disaster grants, etc.
 Land was bought in 1996 with FEMA money. This was post-disaster money to purchase
property to be turned into open space.
 The city has purchased 80 acres and another 100 acres of floodplain restoration is
underway. Four locations total are planned (funded and proposed) along Johnson
Creek.
 Seismic retrofits of a number of buildings are underway and planned.
 Energy-related retrofits are also being considered.
 The City’s Energy Assurance Plan is currently being evaluated that could help reduce
future power outages and damage to critical facilities.
 The City’s Comprehensive Plan is being updated. New growth scenarios for the next 20
years are being considered.
 The Portland Watershed Management Plan is taken into consideration in the City’s
Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Earthquakes
 The city has experienced many earthquakes in the past, including a 5.6 magnitude in
1993 that caused slight damage, including cosmetic damage to buildings.
 Upgrades to some buildings have been required because they are/were insufficiently
constructed for the potential earthquakes of the area.
 Earthquake fault information has been obtained, and 7.0+ magnitude earthquakes are a
possibility.
Wildfires
 A wildfire hazard zone has been established that is very broad; maps can be provided by
the City.
 Some critical structures a risk for wildfire damage have been identified on the maps.
 A Wildfire protection plan has been compiled for Portland and the area fire districts.
Severe Storms
 Snow and ice storms are the most likely cause of storm damage in the city of Portland,
along with tree damage causing power outages, occasional road closures, icing, etc.
Risk MAP Discovery Interview – Lower Willamette - Tualatin Watersheds
City of Portland – August 16, 2012
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VIII.
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Shelter information was not known, however cooling and heating centers have been
used in the past.
 Twitter is used for emergency alerts, as well as the local media, text flashes, phone calls,
etc.
Flooding
 Specific areas regarding flooding will be identified and discussed at the Discovery
meeting.
 Johnson Creek is the most notorious and some areas outside of the SFHA were flooded
during the recent 20 to 28 year event. The City was not sure if the ongoing CLOMR
addresses this issue or not.
 Johnson Creek Restoration Plan is about 65% completed (4 areas were annotated on the
map).
 Stormwater and groundwater flooding does occur.
 Multnomah County Drainage District would be a good group to contact for flooding
information, LOMRs, etc.
 Sub-watershed analysis is underway in the Johnson Creek Watershed. The Columbia
Slough will be studied in the near future and the Willamette River has been studied
previously in this way. These studies look very closely how stormwater is handled in the
sub-drainage areas.
Communications and Outreach
 CRS requires them to send annual information for SFHA residents. Utility bills come
with information about flooding and other emergencies. Road detour and sandbag
locations are given to residents.
 Local committees are formed for planning, and discussions of risk would occur at those
meetings.
 Neighborhood groups are formed to respond to emergencies.
 Information regarding retrofitting, wildfire risk, native plants, fire resistant plants, etc.
can be found on the City website. The website http://www.portlandmaps.com/ also has
information regarding emergency preparedness.
 Transition Portland, a local organization, includes neighborhood resiliency workshops.
The City was not sure whether the group is directly affiliated with the City of Portland.
Multnomah Drainage District does a ton of outreach. There are also local watershed
councils and the City’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement.
 The West Hills area has neighborhood meetings, especially regarding landslide hazards.
 The Floodplain Administrator is D. Morgan. The City does not have a separate
floodplain development permit. They enforce the NFIP regulations and the local
ordinance and regulate development in the floodplain through the building permit
process.
 The City expressed some need for templates, training, webinars, attending conferences,
etc.
Risk MAP Discovery Interview – Lower Willamette - Tualatin Watersheds
City of Portland – August 16, 2012
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ESA training is needed.
The City has previously participated in some training and webinars online and is aware
of the STARR Region X newsletter.
 Portland would like to do informational workshops and training for realtors, mortgage
brokers, title companies, insurance agents, low-income residents, non-English-speaking
residents, etc., regarding the purchase of a home in or near the floodplain. Funding
would be needed to do this work. The City expressed an interest in trying to obtain a
small grant to do this work.
 The State is working with the Climate Change Center and wants to talk to the City more
about this.
Other
 The City noted that the FEMA on-line training and webinars were “great”, and that they
were very easy to attend.
 Community said it was “great news” that this effort was underway to help them.
 The City is an active participant in the Community Rating System (Class 5).
 A few new bridges including a new light rail bridge are being constructed in the
watershed.
 Riverbank modification has taken place in recent years along the Willamette River that
has probably not been considered on the newest FIRMs.
 Annexation is being considered for industrial use, including 300 acres currently located
in the floodplain.
 D. Ratté expressed interest in knowing more about the city’s surface water management
practices at the upcoming Discovery meetings.