Plan for a Resilient Oregon

The Plan for a Resilient Oregon

Our home is a place of beautiful and dynamic landscapes. Floods, wildfires, and storms always have shaped the land and the lives of people, from the first Indigenous communities to the present. Oregon’s geographic diversity, an incredible asset, also presents a range of risks: not just fire and water, but volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides. The question has never been whether disasters will occur, but how communities will respond, recover, and show up for one another when they do.

That is why Governor Kotek commissioned the Plan for a Resilient Oregon (PRO). She wanted a resilience strategy that built on the lived experience of Oregonians and was informed by the work of community-based organizations in every corner of the state. 51 community-based organization, 11 state agencies, 2 public universities, and more than 4,000 Oregonians contributed their lived experience and best ideas on how to make Oregon a more resilient place. In September of 2026 that plan was completed, and you can view the full Plan for a Resilient Oregon, here.

Project Background

The Office of the Governor is developing the Plan for a Resilient Oregon (PRO),a people-centered resilience strategy to help communities around Oregon adapt and thrive in the face of increasingly severe disasters. The PRO aims to be responsive to the unique cultures, demographics, histories, and hazards of Oregon’s diverse regions. The PRO will inform the work of Executive Branch agencies and the Governor’s recommended budget and legislative work for the next biennium.

The Process:

Community Involvement

There are two main groups of community partners informing the development of the PRO- the Statewide Resilience Forum and five Regional Resilience Forums.

Statewide Resilience Forum

The Statewide Resilience Forum was made up of state agency representatives and the facilitators of each of the Regional Resilience Forums, and met on the third Wednesday of the month, from 1:00-3:00 pm Pacific Time via Zoom. Everyone was welcome to join as an observer, and you can access the historical meeting materials below:

August 19th, 2026: Meeting Packet

July 15th, 2026: Meeting Packet

June 17th, 2026: Meeting Packet

May 20th, 2026: Meeting Packet

April 15th, 2026: Meeting Packet

March 18th, 2026: Meeting Packet

February 18th, 2026: Meeting Packet

January 21st, 2026: Meeting Packet

December 17th, 2025:Meeting Packet

October 15th, 2025: Meeting Packet

November 19th, 2025: Meeting Packet

Regional Resilience Forums

There are five Regional Resilience Forums, each representing a different part of Oregon. Each forum consists of approximately 10 community-based organizations doing resilience work in their local communities, as well as several local government officials. The forums meet monthly to discuss resilience topics, and the Facilitator for each forum represents the insights of their region as a member of the Statewide Resilience Forum.

A list of all Regional Resilience Forum member organizations can be found here.

Project Phases

Project Planning: January- August 2025

In this stage, the PRO onboarded project staff, created project plans and infrastructure. This stage also included contracting with researchers at the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience, as well as Community Partners for paid participation in Regional Resilience Forums.

Gathering Information: October 2025-April 2026

During this stage, researchers analyzed existing plans, frameworks and literature, and created prompts for Regional Resilience Forums (RRF). Community Partners gathered, shared best practices, challenges and ideas, and then shared notes with the PRO Team and University Partners. The Statewide Resilience Forum (SRF) met monthly to synthesize input from the RRFs, agency partners, and other subject matter experts. The SRF provided feedback on draft strategies and plan chapters- which you can find here.

Writing & Reviewing: May-August 2026

The writing and reviewing stage included circulating several drafts of the strategies and actions recommended for feedback and the incorporation of many suggested changes.

Recommendations & Publication: September 2026

Governor Kotek finalized the Plan the first full week in September, which also marked 6 years since the devastating 2020 Labor Day fires. The great loss of life, property, and home was close to the heart alongside the hope of building a more resilient Oregon, together.

Implementation: October 2026 & Beyond

The final stage includes the publication of the Resilience Plan and story map which is forthcoming. In the meantime, you can listen to stories of resilience produced in partnership with Oregon Humanities on the This Place website, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Get Involved

If you are doing resiliency work in any settings, please join our Resilience Action & Impact Network! To join, just fill out this form.

Have any questions? Please reach out to aimee.fritsch@oregon.gov.