Since 1973, 18 emergency declarations have been declared for Jackson County, mostly for fires
Wildfire, drought, earthquakes and winter storms top the list of disasters that could devastate our valley.
Medford City Council adopted a five-year disaster mitigation plan Thursday that aims to prevent personal injury, loss of life and damage to property and the environment from natural disasters.
A committee of Medford officials and other organizations developed the plan and rated the potential for disasters, along with recommendations.
“There are about 54 of them recommended from the group to help lower our risk and make Medford and the area a little bit safer for us,” said Aaron Ott, the city emergency management coordinator. One of the goals of the five-year plan is to increase the amount of bed space for homeless people to get them out of areas such as the Bear Creek Greenway, which are prone to fires. The city adopted its first five-year disaster plan in 2017.