Experts Delve Into Disaster Preparedness in January’s Small Business Solutions Hub
While natural disasters, mass casualty events, and other unplanned “bad days” are an accepted reality, preparing for them isn’t always top of mind for business owners. Coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the damaging ice storm that blasted over much of Lane County in 2024, business owners and members gathered at the Chamber Depot January 17 for the Chamber’s first Small Business Solutions Hub of 2025 – to hear from experts about how to best prepare for the next catastrophic event.
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce invited two representatives from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management – Kayla Thompson, Community Preparedness Coordinator, and Sonya McCormick, Public Private Partnership (P3) Program Manager – to speak to their experience providing Oregonians with resources for the worst of times.
After time for networking and a light lunch, Thompson kicked off the presentation by covering the basics of emergency management in practice, as well as some of the hazards typical to the Pacific Northwest region: wildfires, ice storms, and earthquakes, to name a few. McCormick focused more on her role managing the Public Private Partnership (P3) Program for Oregon, which is part of a national network of players including private businesses, government agencies, and tribal entities, working together when activated, to address the needs of communities during widespread disasters. McCormick provided tips for the private sector such as planning ahead for recovery after an event (pivot operations, alternate technological support structures, rethink supply) and tapping into resources such as the Private Sector Preparedness Response and Recovery (PSPR2) seminar series.
Next, Thompson returned to the podium to go over tips and tricks of community preparedness. While she expanded on tips such as food and water storage, packing a go-bag, and other actions in more detail, she emphasized the three bare-minimum actions any individual or business should take: sign up for alerts, have a plan, and practice the plan.
“There’s no perfect formula to being prepared. There’s no perfect list of things in your go-bag. Everyone’s plan is different, because everyone’s needs are different.”
– Kayla Thompson, Community Preparedness Coordinator, Oregon Department of Emergency Management
To conclude, Thompson and McCormick fielded questions from the room. The informative Q&A session covered topics pertaining to the Springfield area and local operations, how and when the National Guard is deployed, and how agencies plan on assisting older populations or those with mobility challenges.
The Small Business Solutions Hub continues to be a cornerstone of the Springfield Chamber’s efforts to support local entrepreneurs. Many thanks to the attendees and our featured speakers, Kayla Thompson and Sonya McCormick from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. Thank you as well to 911 Restoration and Dry Pro Emergency Water Removal for sponsoring the lunch portion of the event, with food from Safeway‘s deli.
The Chamber would also like to thank their Small Business Solutions Hub title sponsor, Kaiser Permanente, as well as their investors, Ask Erik Computer Services, Chambers Construction, Eugene Area Radio Stations (EARS), Hershner Hunter, OCCU, and WaFd Bank.
Please enjoy the video of the full program embedded below; also available on the Small Business Solutions Digital Hub under the Springfield Chamber Resource Library.
About Small Business Solutions Hub
The Small Business Solutions Hub is a digital resource designed to connect small business Chamber members to a network of local experts and partners, business advising services, and a library of Chamber education tools. The hub will evolve to meet local needs with quarterly business education programming, and information from local investor partners.
