QuickTake:

Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, has convened a work group that will look for solutions to enhance preparedness and disaster recovery for legislators to consider.  

This week’s tsunami advisory along the Oregon Coast served as a reminder for state Rep. Paul Evans that the state’s emergency preparedness and disaster recovery systems have gaps and room for improvement. 

Evans, D-Monmouth, already had a work group that was looking at funding priorities and ideas to put forward in the 2026 legislative session. Then a magnitude 8.8 earthquake July 29 off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami alerts for the entire Oregon Coast.

Tsunami advisory canceled for Florence, Newport after 8.8 earthquake off Russian coast

In an interview with Lookout Eugene-Springfield, Evans said the state needs to work on the quality of communications and add funding for facilities and training. For example, Evans said the tsunami information pushed out to the public this week was widely dispersed, but could have used more detail about the potential impact and when to expect waves.

“I’m grateful that so many people did get contacted,” Evans said. “Now we just have to improve what they’re getting.”

The state also needs a “standardized recovery strategy,” Evans said, that allows the state to quickly change focus after a disaster.

“As soon as the fire is out, as soon as the flood recedes, as soon as folks realize, all right, imminent danger is over, now we pivot to putting Humpty Dumpty back together again,” Evans said.

A proposal Evans sponsored this session, House Bill 2058, would have accomplished much of that, but it didn’t pass. Evans said he plans to introduce an omnibus bill that will incorporate those elements and include support for equipment and training for large-scale disasters.

Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat whose district encompasses Lincoln and western Benton and Lane counties, is chair of the Legislature’s Coastal Caucus.

In a statement, Gomberg said: “As someone who represents coastal communities that experienced the tsunami warning last night and received worried texts and phone calls about potential damage, we have to do whatever we can to get Oregon better prepared and keep everyone safe.” 

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.