Tag: Oregon Volunteers

Stories from the Field: A RARE AmeriCorps Perspective

Posted on by Julia Havens

Tim Timothy Smith RARE Resource Assistance for Rural EnvironmentsBefore the RARE AmeriCorps Program. . .

I served in the Peace Corps and got excellent experience in self-growth as well as hands-on experience in serving others in need. However, for a long time, I was always blind to the needs of American cities and towns. I always assumed that the greatest needs were elsewhere such as developing nations.

The RARE AmeriCorps Program – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments has pulled off my blinders and shown me that there is need everywhere and that it typically looks the same no matter what kind of nation it exists in. Rural Oregon, and especially my community on the South Coast, is struggling. Industries which once built these communities are slowly falling apart, causing their cities to follow suit. I never would have experienced the need of America had I not joined the RARE program, and though my work is reflective of the work I did in Zambia, I feel a little more pride and accomplishment because I’m doing something for my own country.

Tim Smith South Coast Development Council RARE Resource Assistance for Rural EnvironmentsAbout the Author:  Timothy ‘Tim’ Smth received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a Minor in Photography from Doane College.  Tim served with Peace Corps in Zambia where he worked as an Agroforesty Extension Agent on an array of rural community development projects.  Tim  sees the RARE AmeriCorps Program as a stepping stone that will allow him to return to his home state of Nebraska with the purpose of increasing sustainability at the local and state levels.  Timothy is serving with the South Coast Development Council, where he is conducting a comprehensive inventory of regional food systems and resources in Coos County and working to form partnerships with the local farming and agricultural community as a means to increase involvement, and to increase the ability to produce and market locally grown products.  

Useful Guidance for any Coastal Community; Highly Recommended

Posted on by Julia Havens

Preparing for a Cascadia Subduction Zone Tsunami: A Land Use Guide for Oregon Coastal Communities“Preparing for a Cascadia Subduction Zone Tsunami: A Land Use Guide for Oregon Coastal Communities” prepared by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), was released on January 17, 2014.  This tsunami land use guidance was developed by DLCD in partnership with a diverse and capable advisory committee comprised of representatives of local government and state agencies assisted by Cogan Owens Cogan, a multi-disciplinary consulting firm.  Advisory committee members from local governments included representatives from the cities of Cannon Beach, Coos Bay, Depoe Bay, Lincoln City, Manzanita, Seaside, Waldport, Yachats, and also included Coos County.

The purpose of the guidance is to assist vulnerable communities as they incorporate tsunami resilience measures into their local land use programs. The land use guide is designed to be tailored by communities to address their individual tsunami risk and location, and provides comprehensive information focused on land use planning approaches to reduce tsunami hazard risk and implement important land use resilience measures. The guidance includes:

  • Sample tsunami-related comprehensive land use plan text and policies
  • Information on needed map amendments
  • Tsunami hazard overlay (THO) zone model to implement resilience measures
  • Tsunami land use strategy financing and incentive concepts
  • Tsunami evacuation route plan assistance
  • Information relating to pre-disaster community land use planning for a Cascadia event tsunami
  • Web links to other helpful information

The guide’s model comprehensive plan, zoning code and other provisions are designed to be used with the new Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Tsunami Inundation Maps (TIMs). The guide is web based with links to other resources.

“The Japan earthquake and tsunami are what we can expect here in Oregon. This is a serious threat to our coast and we need to prepare now. We should have a sense of urgency! This information should be at the core of community preparation.”  Mark Barnes, Planning Director for the City of Cannon Beach and advisory committee member, added, “This is useful guidance for any coastal community; highly recommended.”

Preparing for a Cascadia Subduction Zone Tsumami > > >