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Oregon National Guard Wild Fire response
Oregon National Guard
Action Alert: ask your legislator to support Community Resilience Hubs!

We need your help to get more Community Resilience Hubs. What is a resilience hub? In some places, communities can use hubs as places for folks to cool down during extreme heat, while in others, hubs may provide emergency beds for wildfire evacuations. They offer various essential services for people in need before, during, and after natural and climate disasters.

Can you send a message now?

From power outages or ice storms or when wildfires, extreme heat or other big events threaten our communities, we look out for each other. We all should be safe in extreme times, and legislators choosing to use state dollars to fund this community-backed program is the right thing to do.

The Legislature should pass HB 3170, which would put an additional $10 million to fund a new round of the Community Resilience Hubs grant program as they’ve only done it once and clearly the need is growing. In 2023, the program received $10 million of one-time funding but could only support 96 of the 700 applicants. The bill also applies lessons learned for implementation and adjusting statutes so that the awards can include communities that need projects that respond to ongoing climate issues.

It's now clear that more and more communities need a bigger boost – and likely you or someone you know has experienced a climate impact in some way. We need to cut more pollution to stop making the climate crisis worse—and we also need to recognize the need to fund resiliency at the same time.

Your legislators can make it easier for you and other folks around the state be more prepared the next time disaster strikes. Stronger communities make the difference between surviving and thriving.

Onward,

Author Bio

Claire Prihoda
Claire Prihoda

Oregon Buildings Policy Manager, Climate Solutions

As Oregon Buildings Policy Manager, Claire works to advance policies and regulations that will drive Oregon's transition to safe, equitable and resilient buildings, run on 100% clean energy. 

Prior to joining Climate Solutions, Claire worked as a legislative aide in the Oregon State Legislature. In that role, she was able to help pass the Resilient Efficient Buildings Package, including a statewide building performance standard, heat pump incentives and adoption goals, and building codes that align with Oregon's climate goals. Claire holds a B.A. in Philosophy with a certificate in Public Policy and Community Action. She is currently a JD candidate at Lewis & Clark Law School and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2027. 

Claire grew up in Portland, Oregon and enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest, paddleboarding, baking and cuddles with her cat Belladonna. 

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