Partnerships & Applications Workshop

June 25-26, 2026
Portland, OR

Save the 2027 workshop dates: JUNE 24-25, 2027

2027 Partnerships & Applications Workshop: University of Oregon, Portland Campus

Workshop Goals

A forum for inter-organizational connection and collaboration around Cascadia seismic research and resilience

“What’s the Scenario?” Aligning Earthquake Science and Resilience Planning Across Cascadia

This is the third Partnerships & Application workshop, designed to explore the challenges and needs of the multi-disciplinary community involved in earthquake hazard study and mitigation in the Pacific Northwest. Workshop discussions in 2024 and 2025 highlighted universal interest in developing scenarios and inter-organizational exercises for preparedness and response as a priority next step. Consequently, a deeper consideration of scenarios has been selected as the central theme for the 2026 P&A workshop, with specific goals to:

Facilitate community interaction to understand scenario uses and needs
Determine how science can support use cases and needs with existing or future research/scenario development
Plan and design specific outputs to:
- Support response and interagency clearinghouses
- Develop strategic partnerships for future coordination and/or scientific research towards resilience

Learn about THE 2025 WORKSHOP HERE

We encourage participation of representatives from across the spectrums of research, practice, policy and community organizations.

Registration

This workshop application is closed. Please save the dates 24-25 June 2027 for next year’s event.

Attendance will be capped due to space constraints. We will reach out to accepted applicants in early May. Limited travel funds are available – please request support on the application form if needed.

If you have questions about this workshop please email: acliff@uoregon.edu

APPLY HERE

Meeting Resources

Opening Activity (online)

CASCADIA CONNECTIONS PASSPORT (FILLABLE FORM)

Notetaking Documents

DAY 1 – Session 2 “How are scenario used?” Session

DAY 1 – Session 3 “What are the community’s scenario needs?” Session

DAY 2 – session 6 “Establishing working groups and plans” SESSION

2024 Workshop Report

Summary of content, emergent themes, and next steps

U of O NEWS ARTICLE

LAUREL HAMMERS CONSIDERS P&A Workshop RESILIENCE IMPACTS

Meeting Information Packet

Presentation Recordings for Day 1 – 6/25/26

To see chapter headings and skip to presentations of interest please open the embedded video in YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbfAjYaFFW0

Day 1 – workshop introduction and presentations from sessions 1, 2, and 3 (see agenda below)

Links to Featured Resources

Scenario information (from presentations)

United States Geological Survey: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/scenarios/catalog/ – including Ground Motion Modeling and simulation-based earthquake scenarios for the Cascadia Subduction Zone megathrust & WA, OR, and offshore crustal faults
Natural Resources Canada: https://riskprofiler.ca/ – interactive platform for exploring consequences from potential earthquake events (scenarios), and from all earthquakes that could affect Canada area over time (probabilistic earthquake risk).
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute: https://eeri.org/developing-earthquake-scenarios – guidelines for scenario development and reports with example scenarios; https://learningfromearthquakes.org/activities/clearinghouses/ – clearinghouse resources
Washington Geological Survey: https://dnr.wa.gov/washington-geological-survey/geologic-hazards-and-environment/earthquakes-and-faults/seismic-scenarios – 20 scenarios demonstrating hazard and loss estimates for possible earthquake events that could strike Washington state; https://dnr.wa.gov/washington-geological-survey/geologic-hazards-and-environment/washington-geologic-hazards-clearinghouse – WA state clearinghouse
Washington Emergency Management Division: https://mil.wa.gov/cascadia-rising – resources for statewide earthquake exercise series Cascadia Rising
Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries: https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/pubs/Pages/pubsearch.aspx – DOGAMI publications portal (use search terms “hazard’, “risk”, and “impact” to find scenario related products and reports); https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/tsuclearinghouse/Pages/default.aspx – OR tsunami clearinghouse
Oregon Department of Emergency Management: https://digitalcollections.library.oregon.gov/nodes/view/305765 – interactive platform for 2024 Cascadia earthquake state level exercise IronOR ; https://digitalcollections.library.oregon.gov/nodes/view/305765 – IronOR after action review; https://www.oregon.gov/oem/emresources/Pages/laht-2026.aspx – information on 2026 Cascades volcano state level exercise Getting Through Lahar’d Times
California Geological Survey: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/science-application-for-risk-reduction/science/haywired-scenario – M7.0 Haywired scenario; https://earthquake.usgs.gov/scenarios/eventpage/bssc2014cascadia_sub0_m9p34_se/executive – M9.3 Cascadia megathrust scenario
Statewide California Earthquake Science Center: https://www.earthquakecountry.org/haywired/toolkit/ – Haywired scenario exercise toolkit
AF8 [Alpine Fault Magnitude 8.0] (New Zealand): https://af8.org.nz/ – award winning program of scientific modeling, coordinated response planning, and community engagement designed around an earthquake scenario for the Alpine Fault on the South Island of New Zealand; https://af8.org.nz/explore-the-science/kauraka-e-mataku-kia-takatu – short film blending Indigenous knowledge and Western science to explain how Alpine Fault earthquakes have shaped NZ and how understanding future risks can help communities prepare.
Geohazards International: https://www.geohaz.org/ghi-next-gen-scenarios-guidance – scenario development guidelines for practitioners; scenario application and efficacy research:
- Nnenia Campbell, Sue Ann Sarpy, Janise Rodgers, Arrietta Chakos, Heidi Stenner; Characteristics of effective California earthquake scenarios. Earthquake Spectra 2025; 41 (3): 1891–1909. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/87552930241312707
- Janise Rodgers, Arrietta Chakos, Nnenia Campbell, Heidi Stenner, Sue Ann Sarpy; Effectiveness of California earthquake scenarios in motivating mitigation. Earthquake Spectra 2025; 41 (3): 1863–1890. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/87552930241312712
- Rodgers, J., Campbell, N., Sarpy, S.A. et al. Using scenarios of geologic hazard events for pre-disaster mitigation. Nat Hazards 122, 204 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-025-07859-z

Other tools and datasets

CRESCENT Tools, Products and Publications: https://cascadiaquakes.org/products/#library
Cascadia Lifelines Program Products and Tools – GIS tools and databases to assist resilience practitioners
Washington Geologic Information Portal – interactive data portal curated by Washington DNR
United States Geological Survey: Cascadia Subduction Zone Database – USGS dataset compilation for CSZ
ShakeAlert outreach intitiatives: ShakeAlert Ready Schools and Be ShakeAlert Safe with Rocket program.

ShakeAlert Social Science Research – idea harvesting

Click through the slides below and enter your ideas via the virtual sticky notes!

Asynchronous Q+A Responses

For those developing exercises, to what extent do you include students in the sciences to promote a more grounded understanding for how the science translates into planning action?

If I have student interns at the time of an exercise, I will include them in the exercise by having them assist me with the logistics. It might be taking notes, helping with setup, meeting people in the lobby and bring them up to the room, etc. I always encourage them to participate in conversations or accompany a geologist in the field. Students are interning with us to gain real life experience in their chosen field and so I try to make that experience as close to what the job actually entails.
(Answered from Kate Thomas, California Geological Survey)

Oregon does not currently utilize interns, boo. But I would encourage university science programs find opportunities to connect with their local and state emergency management programs, or emergency management associations, to identify opportunities to integrate students of sciences into exercise design, development, and conduct. It would be an amazing support to smaller emergency management programs to have students support as their Scenario Unit on an exercise planning team – offering them an opportunity to gain experience and utilize their education in real time!

It is something we plan to do through the Oregon Emergency Management Association (OEMA).
(Answer from Robert Quinn, Oregon Department of Emergency Management)

When an earthquake occurs and insurance is used for repairs, do the insurance rates significantly increase in that area in the years that follow?

After a major earthquake, insurance costs in the affected area often do rise, but it’s not simply because policies were used for repairs. There are several factors at play. Insurers and reinsurers update their risk assessments using new loss data and refined catastrophe models after a significant event. If the new data shows the area is riskier or that losses were more severe than anticipated, the technical cost of insurance rises. This is usually reflected in higher premiums and, in some cases, increased deductibles.

The size and persistence of these changes depend on factors like the regulatory environment, local market competition, and how severe or “unexpected” the event was. Large, surprising earthquakes are more likely to lead to longer‑lasting premium increases, while events that fall within modeled expectations may only cause a more temporary firming of rates.

It’s worth noting that earthquake insurance pricing is generally driven more by the location, building type, and construction quality than by an individual property owner’s claim history, especially when many properties in the area are affected simultaneously.

Finally, mitigation efforts and building code improvements after an earthquake can help offset the upward pressure on premiums. Over time, properties that are upgraded or built to higher standards often benefit from more favorable pricing and better access to coverage compared to older or unretrofitted buildings in the same area.
(Answer from Farhad Sedaghati, AON)

It is a complex issue. As with any traditional insurance, earthquake insurance premiums are based on long-term expected loss rates, which are intended to cover the cost of repairs from future earthquakes. Catastrophe models used in insurance risk analysis typically incorporate certain types of post-event cost escalation, such as increases driven by short-term spikes in reconstruction demand for materials, labor, related services, etc., commonly referred to as “demand surge,” when estimating these long-term loss rates.

That said, premiums are also influenced by a broader set of factors. These include (re)insurers’ forward-looking views of risk, the amount of capital or reserves set aside to cover current and future events, and the availability and cost of capital in the market. Together, these considerations can lead to higher premiums, increased deductibles, and reduced coverage availability. For example, after the 1994 Northridge quake, losses were significantly greater than previously anticipated, prompting several major private insurers to reduce coverage or withdraw from high-risk areas. This led to the creation of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) which provides residential earthquake insurance in the state.
(Answer from Shubharoop Ghosh, ImageCat Inc.)

Presentation slides

Available slide decks are linked in the agenda below, indicated by bold blue typeface.

Agenda

Notes: All times Pacific Time. Agenda is subject to change.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

8:00-8:30 Check-in

8:30-9:35 Welcome and opening activity

9:35-10:00 Keynote: “The ShakeOut Scenario 2 Decades Later: What has worked and what hasn’t” presented by Dr. Lucy Jones, Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society

10:00-10:20 Break

10:20-Noon Session 1: Setting the scenario scene: existing efforts and current developments

Highlighting agencies responsible for scenario development, how to access existing products, and what is being worked on.

“USGS Earthquake Scenarios in the Pacific Northwest” presented by Audrey Dunham, United States Geological Survey
“Creating a Shared Understanding of Earthquake Risk in Canada” presented by Tiegan Hobbs, Natural Resources Canada
“C ommunity Collaboration Efforts by EERI for Scenario Development and Post-Earthquake Clearinghouse Response” presented by Heidi Tremayne, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
“Washington Earthquake Hazards: What to Expect When You’re Expecting an Earthquake” presented by Megan Anderson, Washington Geological Survey and Maximilian Dixon, Washington Emergency Management Division
“Cooking Up Catastrophe: A Recipe for Realistic Hazard Assessment and Exercises in Oregon” presented by Reed Burgette, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and Robert Quinn, Oregon Department of Emergency Management
“Preparing for Earthquake and Tsunami Reconnaissance with the use of Scenarios” presented by Kate Thomas, California Geological Survey and Todd Becker, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
“HayWired Scenario Exercise Toolkit Development and Trainings: A Model for End-User Engagement with Scenario Results and Data” presented by Mark Benthien, Statewide California Earthquake Center

CRESCENT Working Groups and Special Interest Groups:

Updates and a focus on each group’s research and products relevant to scenario applications

Ground Failure (GF) presented by Ben Leshchinsky, Professor, Oregon State, University
Community Fault Model (CFM) presented by Ashley Streig, Earthquake Hazard and Geophysics Program Manager, Washington Geological Survey
Dynamic rupture, Earthquake cycles, Tsunami models (DET) presented by Maricela Best McKay, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Oregon
Coupling, Seismicity, Slow Slip (C3S) presented by Brendan Crowell, Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University
Community Velocity Model (CVM) and Ground Motion Modeling (GMM) presented by Valerie Sahakian, Associate Professor, University of Oregon
Cascadia Paleoseismology (CPAL) and Tsunami Sources for Hazard Assessment (TSHA) presented by Carrie Garrison Laney, Coastal Hazards Specialist, Washington Sea Grant
Offshore Observations (OO) presented by Harold Tobin, Professor / Director, University of Washington / Pacific Northwest Seismic Network

12:00-1:00 Lunch (provided)

1:00-2:30 Session 2: How are scenarios used?

This session will showcase case studies for the variety of ways in which scenarios are used.

Risk and response planning
Exercises and training
Policy, education and outreach

“From Hazard to Decision: How Earthquake and Tsunami Scenarios Drive Insurance Risk Management and Response” presented by Shubharoop Ghosh, ImageCat, Inc.
“From Scenarios to Safety: How PG&E Prepares for Natural Hazards” presented by Megan Stanton, Pacific Gas & Electric
“Scenario-based planning for plate boundary earthquakes on the Alpine Fault, New Zealand” presented by Caroline Orchiston and Alice Lake-Hammond, New Zealand QuakeCoRE/AF8
“The power of scenarios as stories to change public perception and policies” presented by Sara McBride, California Seismic Safety Commission

Discussion

2:30-3:00 break

3:00-4:30 Session 3: What are the community’s scenario needs?

This session will explore the needs identified for scenarios development and who we need to work with.

“Increasing the Effectiveness of Geologic Hazard Scenarios for Mitigation” presented by Janise Rodgers, Geohazards International

4:30-6:00 Reception and Poster/Digital Media Session (appetizers provided, cash bar)

Friday, June 26, 2026

8:30 Check in

9:00-10:00 Opening Activity – mini tabletop exercise

An abbreviated earthquake tabletop exercise for a broad CRESCENT audience.

Objectives:

Earthquake response discussion and problem solving by a diverse group of stakeholders.
Exercise should highlight the varied perspectives represented in the room – ranging from earthquake scientists, engineers, emergency management, tribal and local organizations, utilities, road infrastructure, medical preparedness managers, and more.
Develop insights to motivate scenario themed sessions the remainder of the day.

10:00 Break

10:30-Noon Session 4: From scenario to response: aligning post-earthquake science and data coordination in Cascadia

Goal is to address the need for more dialog across borders and between sectors about the roles, responsibilities, and actions for post-earthquake response, with a focus on science, data, and situational awareness.

12:00 Lunch

1:00-2:30 Session 5: Exploring collaborative frameworks

For defined “priority themes”, establish:

who currently works together
who else should be at the table
how do we span borders (state/country)
what are the collective “science” or data” needs to support this effort

2:30 Break

3:00-4:00 Session 6: Establishing working groups and plans

For the listed “priority themes”, define:

core working group
coordination/meeting strategy
possible funding mechanisms, e.g. FEMA MSNEA
short and long-term action items
how could CRESCENT support this

4:00-4:30 Closing Remarks

Poster and Digital Media Session Details

Submit PRESENTATION info here by June 12

Space for posters/presentations is limited. If you are attending this workshop with a colleague from the same organization, we ask that you coordinate and consider a combined poster/digital media presentation. Some key details and timing:

Posters

Poster dimensions should be a maximum of 48″ wide.
Please bring your poster to the workshop on Thursday, June 25 in the morning.
On Thursday, you will have the opportunity to hang your poster in the poster session space. Tape, push pins, or command tape strips will be provided for you to hang your poster.
The formal poster/digital media session will take place during the Thursday, June 25 reception from 4:30 – 6 pm, however attendees will be able to view them during lunch and breaks as well.
You may leave your poster up overnight and remove it on Friday, June 26 any time after 12:30 pm.

Digital media

Please bring your own laptop/viewing device and charger.
We will allocate a space for you at a small bistro/coffee table in the reception area during the formal poster/digital media reception on Thursday, June 25, 4:30-6 pm. (Note: plan to run cordless as most table locations will not be by a power outlet.)
Free Wi-Fi is available via the UO Guest network, though you may consider having a downloaded version of your product available for offline viewing.

To confirm that you are bringing a poster and/or digital media to the workshop, please submit your title/author via this form by June 12.

Travel & Lodging

25-26 June 2026

University of Oregon Portland Northeast Campus, Portland, OR

Venue

The 2026 Partnerships & Applications Workshop will be held at the University of Oregon Portland in the UO Portland Campus Center (located at 2823 NE Holman Street) on June 25-26, 2026.

Flights, ground transportation and parking

UO Portland NE Campus is a 15-minute drive from PDX international airport and 9 minute drive from our host hotel. Shuttles from the hotel to/from the workshop will be available – sign up at the hotel front desk at check-in if you wish to take the shuttle. If driving to the venue, please park in the parking lot on the corner of 27th and Holman – a permit is not required for this lot.

The campus is near stops on bus lines 17, 70, and 75. Routes 17 and 70 operate on 30-minute intervals from downtown Portland, and route 75 operates on 15-minute intervals from SE Portland, connecting with the MAX Blue, Red and Green Lines. Visit the TriMet website for updated schedules and to plan your rides.

For maps, directions, parking and other ground transportation information, see here.

Lodging

Radisson Hotel Portland Airpor t (6233 N.E. 78th Ct., Portland, OR, 97218, US) is CRESCENT’s host hotel for overnight guests. Radisson offers a complimentary breakfast, complimentary overnight parking, free airport shuttle, on-site restaurant and full business center.

For those booking travel independently, a preferred block rate is available. Follow this link to book a room in the CRESCENT block before it expires on June 22, 2026.

Hotel courtesy airport shuttle Info: Upon arrival at PDX, retrieve your luggage and go to Island 2, the courtesy shuttle area located outside of baggage claim. Once there, call 503-251-2000 EXT 0 and let the staff know you are ready for a pick-up. Schedule your departure shuttle back to the airport with the front desk staff when you arrive.

Hotel to workshop shuttle Info: For those staying at the hotel, if you would like a ride to the workshop, we have arranged for shuttles to/from the venue with limited seating at the times specified below. Reserve your spot by signing up on the clipboards next to the front desk and be at the departure location 5 minutes prior to departure:

Thursday, June 25:
- Depart from Radisson Hotel Portland Airport outside lobby entrance – 7:30a, 7:45a, and 8:00a
- Return from parking lot on the corner of 27^th and Holman – 6:00p, 6:15p, and 6:30p
Friday, June 26:
- Depart from Radisson Hotel Portland Airport outside lobby entrance – 8:00a, 8:15a, and 8:30a
- Return from parking lot on the corner of 27^th and Holman – 4:30p and 4:45p

Luggage note: if you are flying out on Friday, you may bring your luggage to the workshop and a designated space at the Campus Center will be available for storage until you depart for the airport.

Workshop Planning Committee

This year’s planning committee includes representatives of partner organizations from California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Each member brings valuable experience, perspective, and connections relevant to community scenario needs and interests.