Agencies warn staffing, data cuts could complicate Oregon winter response
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Summary
State emergency managers, transportation and utility officials told lawmakers they are preparing for a heavy winter season but face staffing shortfalls, reduced federal data feeds and uneven local capacity for mass care. Funding from a special session averted service cuts for highways, officials said.
Andrew Jahir, director of response and recovery at the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, told the House Interim Committee on Emergency Management and Veterans that the state’s priorities entering the winter are “protecting lives, maintaining critical services, and ensuring rapid and coordinated recovery.” Jahir cited three recent severe winter incidents and said they exposed how quickly local capacity can be strained without coordinated support.
The Oregon Department of Transportation said special-session funding secured through HB 3991 prevented layoffs and station closures that would have curtailed winter maintenance, but ODOT officials warned a continuing staffing shortfall remains. “We have already have more than 50 maintenance workers hired for the winter … We have another 100 maintenance positions in the recruiting pipeline,” Deputy Director Travis Brower told the committee, while also noting the agency had accumulated “nearly 800” vacancies during prior budget shortfalls.
Regional maintenance managers described how ODOT uses defined service levels (A–E) to prioritize interstates and critical corridors and said the agency is coordinating pre-season plans with counties and cities. Darren Veil, an ODOT region manager, said crews will reallocate personnel in widespread storms and that some low‑priority routes may see only minimal service or seasonal closures.
The Public Utility Commission described its emergency liaison role with communications and energy utilities, explaining that utilities report long-duration outages to the PUC and participate in daily coordination calls during major events. April Brewer, a lead analyst at the PUC, said the commission is working on formal rules to protect customers from disconnection during extreme weather and that some utilities are voluntarily extending moratoriums through the end of the year while the rules are finalized.
Investor-owned utilities described investments in forecasting and situational awareness. Nora Atsoff of Pacific Power said the company expanded its forecasting horizon to five days and established a 24/7 watch desk in Medford to provide real-time situational awareness. Atsoff also highlighted a pilot generator rebate program that provided $4,000 rebates to 27 care facilities in Linn County.
Lane County Emergency Manager Tiffany Brown told lawmakers mass care remains the county’s primary winter concern, citing reduced funding for unhoused programs and volunteer capacity. Brown said officials will convene a countywide stakeholder group in early 2026 to clarify mass‑care roles and address shelter, water and food gaps.
Committee members pressed agencies about specific vulnerabilities: how NOAA funding cuts affect tsunami and coastal warning systems, whether water utilities are coordinated during power outages, and whether roadside cameras and tripcheck.com maintain full coverage. Agency representatives said reduced federal data will diminish timeliness but that state and private investments—such as local weather stations and CAD‑to‑CAD links with 911 centers—are being used to fill gaps.
The committee did not take formal action; the session was an informational briefing and closed with lawmakers shifting to a wildfire agenda.
