[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News: Wildfire Response and Recovery

INFO Heritage * OPRD Heritage.Info at oregon.gov
Thu Sep 17 10:04:18 PDT 2020


Oregon Heritage News: Wildfire Response and Recovery


  *   Recovery Message from Oregon Heritage
  *   National Heritage Responders are waiting for your call!
  *   Heritage related Wildfire Response and Recovery Resources
  *   Good news from affected areas


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2020 Wildfire Response and Recovery

Note: We understand that the situation across the state is variable and that people are still in all stages of risk and evacuation. This is intended to assist people as they are ready.

>From Oregon Heritage...We mourn with the people who lost friends and family, homes, businesses, community anchors, natural spaces, and historic places. We are grateful to the first responders, fire fighters, National Guard, public agencies, volunteers, and donors who worked to save people, properties, historic and natural resources, and support those displaced. You really show what community is.

Now as we start to emerge, recover, and reflect, we are seeing how important place is. In some cases, the communities and responders rallied to save places valued by locals. In others, we see the mourning for the loss of historic, natural, and community spaces that reflect the identity of the place. We saw people come together in the rush of evacuation and the aftermath.

It is important, now, to continue our mutual support. The recovery will be years in coming. Oregon's heritage organizations and keepers of historic places have a critical role. The museums, historic downtowns, and historic sites are part of your community's identity and they need them more than ever. Once you have your people housed and settled, take action. If your organization's or main street's buildings and collections were lost or damaged, you are still important, so don't give up. Work for your organization, but we encourage you to also make space for your organization to serve your community.


  *   Be at the table when your community considers how it will rebuild.
  *   Be a shoulder to people who continue to mourn and heal.
  *   Document this tragic event, so people in the future will understand.

And whether your organization is in a community that burned or was in an evacuation zone, or you were watching the news in heartbreak of others suffering, this is a time to reflect and prepare. Please do consider timing of your actions in deference to the feelings of those deeply affected by the fires.

In order to give some guidance on things to consider during the response and recovery, we have come up with an outline of some actions you can take<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/FromORHeritageRecoveryMessage.pdf> to mitigate loss and damage and also provide a path for you to be an integral part of the community healing process, because again, you are important.

You can find this message and additional guidance here<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/FromORHeritageRecoveryMessage.pdf>.

Be safe, know you are not alone, and more importantly, we will get through this.


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National Heritage Responders are waiting for your call!

Staff from Oregon Heritage and Oregon State Archives had a call with the National Heritage Responders this week. They are ready and prepared to field calls from those who need some guidance on response and recovery of their lost or damaged collections and archives.

This group of preservation trained volunteers usually can deploy to areas affected by natural disasters as they have done in the past with floods and hurricanes but, of course, COVID has made that difficult this year. They are however able to talk through guidance on the phone and possibly do virtual walk throughs with folks once they can safely access their building with clearance from local authorities.

To access this awesome resource, call 202-661-8068.

To learn more about this service, visit here<https://www.culturalheritage.org/resources/emergencies/national-heritage-responders?fbclid=IwAR1bvImP4au7PGvbqTtn4i2vH7geI9csQbVFvYXklgTptJPZGR0cqWHEGCg>


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Heritage related Wildfire Response and Recovery Resources

Most of the obvious disaster related resources for heritage collections and historic sites are water related but Oregon Heritage staff scoured the internet for resources the specifically address fire, heat, and smoke damage.

The Wildfire Response and Recovery Resource page<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Pages/DisasterPrep.aspx> has the following resources for you to access:


  *   Immediate response and general guidance - include checklists, tips on how to approach the area after you have been given the all clear, and more.


  *   Historic building assessment & resources - includes tools and worksheets to document damage to your historic structure.


  *   Treatment of collections - specific guidance on salvage and treatment of various types of collections


  *   Community resilience after the fire - support for the value of heritage sites and organizations in community healing, also includes a community trauma toolkit


  *   Recovery Funding and Resources - as recovery funding becomes available, this section will include that information.

Do you have an awesome resource for wildfire response and recovery that is not on the resource page? Please send it to heritage.info at oregon.gov<mailto:heritage.info at oregon.gov>.

Please note that the State Historic Preservation Office is prioritizing projects related to the disaster. They are also working on documenting damage to historic structures and communicating with state agencies in an effort to get this information to FEMA during the response and recovery. If you have information on an historic site that was damaged during fires, please email heritage.info at oregon.gov<mailto:heritage.info at oregon.gov>. Of course, we'd also LOVE to hear about historic sites and organizations that were spared from the fires so please feel free to pass that good news along so the whole heritage community in Oregon can celebrate!


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Good news from affected areas

We want to be sure to share the positive news that we have received in our office from heritage organizations around the state the have survived the fires that moved through their community. We have heard from folks regarding the following sites:


  *   Talent Historical Society survived
  *   Phoenix Historical Society survived
  *   Gold Hill Historical Society survived
  *   Rogue Valley Genealogical Society survived
  *   Goodpasture Covered Bridge was made safe by heroic efforts

While these buildings and collections survived, it is important to note that some of those who managed these places sustained significant personal losses. We want to acknowledge that and send them good thoughts in their recovery efforts.


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Share your photos of Oregon's heritage on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using #oregonheritage.



Oregon Heritage News is a service of Oregon Heritage, a division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The news editor can be contacted at heritage.info at oregon.gov<mailto:heritage.info at oregon.gov>.

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