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State and counties point to OraAlert, ShakeAlert and 911 as layered systems for rapid warnings
Summary
Witnesses described Oregon's layered alert-and-warning approach — county 911 centers, a statewide Everbridge-based capability called OraAlert, and the ShakeAlert earthquake-warning system — and discussed past communications failures and FEMA stopgap measures.
Patience Whittingham, deputy director of the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, said the state procured a statewide alerting capability called OraAlert and pushed it to counties so local jurisdictions can issue their own alerts rather than relying on a single statewide center.
"Every county can alert their jurisdictions and then some neighboring counties can alert for each other on behalf of each other should they be overwhelmed," Whittingham said, describing the intent behind the statewide tool.
John Wheeler, Washington County Emergency Management manager, said alerting and warning vary by jurisdiction but noted local 911 desks operate 24/7 and are tied into county arrangements to issue immediate alerts; counties will transition lead responsibility for complex alerts to emergency management offices as incidents grow.
Panelists recounted incidents where communications systems were heavily degraded; Whittingham said FEMA deployed communications capabilities as a stopgap when a roughly 35-mile radius lost landline, public-safety radio and wireless service during a recent event. Committee members asked whether alerting systems are continuously monitored and how they handle sudden-onset hazards such as tornadoes; witnesses said layered systems and local ownership improve timeliness and flexibility.
The hearing also referenced the ShakeAlert regional earthquake early-warning system and county efforts to integrate those alerts into local notification systems.
