Where we are and where we need to go
Every person should have an equal opportunity to survive a disaster. As we prepare Oregon’s communities to respond to increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters, communities of color deserve equitable access to linguistically and culturally relevant, lifesaving disaster preparedness resources. We must understand what we are doing to support these communities, what we are missing, and how to ensure we are all prepared for the next disaster.
This report combines ten months of data collection, analysis, and sense-making. We primarily used qualitative research methods and relied on our project values to understand Oregon’s inclusive messaging landscape.
In October of 2022, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette hosted a webinar featuring four researchers that are working to build resiliency in communities of color facing the brunt of climate-related disasters. Watch the English-language video with ASL interpretation above, as well as a version with Spanish language interpretation.
In response to the 2020 wildfires, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette (UWCW) invested in disaster relief and recovery for the first time. Through its grant making process, UWCW heard again and again that Oregon’s communities of color do not have the support they need during a crisis. Community-based organization (CBO) leaders identified profound gaps in culturally and linguistically appropriate communications, evacuation, shelter, and other systems intended to alert and protect our state’s most marginalized communities.
Through continued conversations with CBOs, public sector representatives, and philanthropic partners, UWCW determined an evaluation of inclusive disaster preparedness messaging, materials, and resources for communities of color would clarify current gaps and urgent needs in Oregon.
UWCW invited disaster preparedness leaders from California to share their experiences and co-lead this inclusive messaging evaluation project: El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center and Tahan Consulting. Leaders from both organizations were integral to the Listos Campaign’s success.
This report summarizes our project team’s findings and recommendations. Throughout the data collection, analysis, and sense-making processes, we applied our project values. Look through the report and the report summary, in Spanish and English, by downloading below:
