Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab
Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific Northwest
Support the Oregon Hazards Lab!
The Oregon State Legislature is considering a bill that would provide state funding to our program. This bill would help OHAZ continue monitoring natural disasters and delivering life-saving alerts to Oregonians.
223+
PNSN Seismic Monitoring Stations Across Oregon
63+
OHAZ Wildfire Detection Cameras Across Oregon
4.2Mil
Oregonians With Access to ShakeAlert EEW Alerts
2018
Year OHAZ Was Founded
28
OHAZ Staff
8
Student Researchers
The Oregon Hazards Lab is a research lab within the University of Oregon's Department of Earth Sciences. We currently partner in these efforts:
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Along with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington, we monitor ground motion to better understand earthquake and volcano hazards and their impacts on communities in Oregon and Washington.
ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning System
Since 2014, the Oregon Hazards Lab has been an instrumental partner in building and promoting the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system.
Wildfire Detection Cameras
With hundreds of mountaintop cameras installed throughout the western United States, this high-speed wildfire detection network provides firefighters and first responders a new way to spot and track wildfires.
Wildfire Smoke Sensors
As part of a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, we deployed 30 smoke sensors across Western Oregon in 2023 and tested their effectiveness at detecting emerging wildfires.
Sage Continuum
We are building a continent-spanning network of smart sensors to improve the flow of information between scientists and the natural world.
News from the Oregon Hazards Lab
Get Ready for the Big One! What You Need to Know About Earthquake Preparedness
Learn about the risks posed by earthquakes and what you can do to prepare for it. This training will teach about earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, what kind of damage to expect, and what steps individuals can take to be more prepared on campus and at home. It will include a brief earthquake drill as part of the Great Oregon ShakeOut.
Quake Questions Answered: Building our Community’s Resilience
Join seismologists, emergency managers, and researchers to find out how Oregon is preparing for the Big One. Scientists from the Cascadia Research Earthquake Science Center and experts from the Oregon Hazards Lab will discuss what we know now, what we expect to learn, and what you can do to be prepared. This free event will be at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History on October 17 from 6:30-8pm.
OHAZ Partners with RVCOG to Install 12 Cameras in Rogue Valley
The Oregon Hazards Lab at the University of Oregon and the Rogue Valley Council of Governments have received a Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deploy 12 additional wildfire cameras across the Rogue Valley region over three years. The project begins in summer 2024 and will be complete by summer 2027.