Life Along the Columbia: Stories from Behind the Levees

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Many people who live here do not realize that we have levees in the Portland metro area and that this infrastructure has allowed the low-lying areas along the Columbia River to become the economic, residential, and recreational hubs that they are today. To raise awareness about the levees and flood risk in the region, MCDD and FEMA Region X invited people to share their stories about living, working, and recreating in the area protected by the levees. These stories were collected during the Columbia Slough Watershed Council’s annual Regatta, which was held at MCDD’s campus in NE Portland in August 2019. The interviews were conducted in a room with a map of the levee system and a timeline of the Flood History we’ve had in the region.

Please note: These audio recordings represent the storyteller’s lived experience and opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of MCDD or FEMA.

Click here to view or download transcripts for each of the recordings.

AVAILABLE TRANSCRIPTS

Special thanks to all the individuals and organizations that played a role in supporting this project.

The following presentations were delivered to the Northwest Floodplain Management Association and Association of State Floodplain Management in 2020. We appreciate the interest in learning more about this project.

Project Information: please contact Brian Eberhardt, MCDD Project Manager, [email protected]

Media Inquiries: please contact Evyn Mitchell, Public Affairs & Communications Manager, [email protected]