Oregon
Cascadia is waiting. So is fire season.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone can produce a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami. The 2020 Labor Day fires burned a million acres in a week. Atmospheric rivers flood the Willamette Valley. And the Columbia Gorge funnels ice storms into Portland. Oregon prepares for the earthquake that hasn't come and the fire that comes every year.
Enter your Oregon ZIP for live alerts, forecasts, and county-specific data.
Know your region
What you prepare for depends on where in Oregon you live.
Portland metro and Willamette Valley
Portland, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis. The Cascadia Subduction Zone threatens the entire region with violent shaking. The 2020 fires burned into suburban communities. Portland's ice storms from the Gorge knock out power for days. The Willamette River floods during atmospheric rivers.
Primary hazards: earthquakes, wildfire, ice storms, flooding
Oregon coast
Astoria, Newport, Florence, Coos Bay, Brookings. A Cascadia tsunami could reach coastal communities within 15 to 20 minutes. Coastal erosion is accelerating. Winter storms bring destructive surf and flooding. Landslides close Highway 101 regularly.
Primary hazards: tsunami, earthquakes, coastal storms, landslides
Southern and eastern Oregon
Bend, Medford, Klamath Falls, Pendleton, the high desert. The 2020 Almeda Fire destroyed over 2,600 structures in the Rogue Valley. Eastern Oregon rangeland burns hundreds of thousands of acres. Smoke fills valleys for weeks.
Primary hazards: wildfire, smoke, drought, winter storms, flash floods
Your hazard profile
5 hazards that apply to Oregon.
Each links to a full guide with during-event protocol, recovery steps, and resources specific to OR.
Earthquakes
The Cascadia Subduction Zone can produce a M9.0 earthquake and tsunami. The last event was in 1700. Geologists estimate 10 to 15 percent probability in the next 50 years. Bolt your home to its foundation. Stock 14 days of supplies.
Read the earthquakes guide →
Wildfires
The 2020 Labor Day fires burned over 1 million acres in one week. Entire communities were destroyed. Suburban areas previously considered safe burned. Air quality reached hazardous levels statewide for weeks.
Read the wildfires guide →
Atmospheric river flooding
Atmospheric rivers bring heavy rain that floods the Willamette Valley and coastal rivers. Landslides triggered by rain close roads and damage homes. Post-fire burn scars amplify flood risk.
Read the atmospheric river flooding guide →
Volcanic activity
Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, and the Three Sisters are all potentially active. A major eruption would produce lahars that threaten communities downstream.
Read the volcanic activity guide →
Ice storms
The Columbia Gorge funnels cold air into Portland, creating ice storms. The 2021 ice storm left 350,000 without power. Mountain passes close frequently. Eastern Oregon experiences extreme cold.
Read the ice storms guide →
Oregon resources
The agencies and programs that cover your state.
Oregon OEM
Oregon Office of Emergency Management. Coordinates disaster response and manages the state's Cascadia preparedness planning.
Oregon Earthquake Info
Oregon Department of Geology earthquake information. Cascadia Subduction Zone maps, expected shaking intensity, and tsunami inundation zones.
Oregon Wildfire Info
Real-time wildfire tracking, evacuation levels (Ready, Set, Go), smoke forecasts, and fire restriction information.
NWS Portland
Western Oregon forecasts. Atmospheric river outlooks, flood warnings, ice storm advisories, and fire weather alerts.
TripCheck Oregon
Real-time road conditions, chain requirements, pass closures, and fire-related road closures. Essential for mountain and coast travel.
Labor Day 2020
The fires came for the suburbs.
On September 7, 2020, an unprecedented east wind event pushed multiple wildfires across western Oregon simultaneously. In one week, over 1 million acres burned. The towns of Detroit, Blue River, and Phoenix were largely destroyed. The Almeda Fire in the Rogue Valley burned through suburban neighborhoods in Talent and Phoenix, destroying 2,600 structures. The air quality in Portland reached the worst of any major city on Earth.
The 2020 fires changed Oregon's understanding of wildfire risk. These were not remote forest fires. They reached into communities, suburbs, and urban edges. People who had never considered themselves at risk evacuated with hours of notice.
For every Oregon household, fire preparedness now extends beyond the traditional wildland-urban interface. A go-bag, multiple evacuation routes, county alert registration, and an air quality plan (sealed windows, HEPA filter, N95 masks) are baseline preparation. And the Cascadia earthquake, which has not happened yet, requires a separate and parallel level of readiness: 14 days of supplies and a communication plan that does not depend on infrastructure.