About UO Emergency Management & Continuity

UO: A resource worth protecting

The University of Oregon functions like a small community. It is a workplace and research facility for faculty and staff, a place of learning, home to students living in the dorms, and a cultural hub for Eugene and Lane County. The University is also a crucial economic component of the state, county, and City of Eugene. It is the second largest employer in Lane County, and it generates hundreds of millions of dollars in direct spending in the surrounding communities. Moreover, the university is a significant resource for the Eugene area during a disaster event. The university may be called upon by the city to provide shelter, resources, or other functions for the community as a whole as well as the campus community. Each hazard presents a unique set of issues and challenges to the university. 

Plan, prepare, and train to reduce risk and loss

Crisis and disaster events require campuses to not only prepare for such events, but they also require an understanding of response capabilities and limitations. One approach to understanding capabilities and limitations is to go beyond conventional emergency operations planning and establish comprehensive preparedness, loss/risk reduction (e.g., mitigation), and recovery and reconstruction strategies. Although it is impossible to predict exactly when the next crisis or disaster might occur, or the extent to which they might affect a campus, the UO can greatly minimize losses from such events through deliberate planning, preparing, and training. Achieving disaster resilience on a campus is an exceedingly complex problem that requires coordination, cooperation, and a focused effort from the entire university, including its students, faculty/researchers, staff, and many partners – city, county, and state government, neighboring citizens, and the private and non-profit sectors. 

Integrated systems: day-to-day and in an emergency

An integrated systems approach to emergency management is needed to become better prepared and more disaster resilient. The integrated systems approach to emergency management will also ensure that the UO identifies opportunities to mitigate risk and prevent loss, as well as establish recovery and continuity strategies for all types of events, big or small. Engaging in an integrated and coordinated emergency management program provides the campus with a number of benefits, including:

• Reduced vulnerability and exposure to future crisis and disaster events;
• Protection of life, property, essential services, and critical facilities;
• Diminished post-disaster economic hardship for the campus community;
• Reduced short-term and long-term recovery and reconstruction costs;
• Quicker resumption of University functions, including education, research, and business systems; and
• Increased cooperation and communication within the community through planning , training, and exercises.

To be successful, emergency management practices must be adequately staffed, coordinated, and integrated into current and future campus plans and policies, as well as the decision-making processes of campus.