We've got some stories to share
Our 2023 annual report has some good stories to share about how we are using innovation, technology and training to help our community become more resilient and better prepared for emergencies. The report this year is offered as an online story map, including video and other features: https://bit.ly/DEM_2023_Report
Snohomish County will never forget March 22, 2014, and the 43 lives lost to the slide that buried the Steelhead Haven neighborhood and the highway between Oso and Darrington. This department had a role in the emergency response and the recovery. We were honored to participate last month in the 10-year remembrance ceremony and to be present for the dedication of the deeply moving memorial to lives forever changed when the hill fell. The Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources worked with the community to develop the memorial and to host the remembrance ceremony. If you were unable to attend, you can view a video from the livestream on YouTube.
Monitoring slide risks is a part of living in a damp, hilly place like Snohomish County. Since the Oso slide, experts have mapped known active slide zones. Using lidar imaging, they also have found evidence of numerous past slides, some even larger than the one that delivered such heartbreak here a decade ago. Visit the mass earth movement section of the Snohomish County Hazard Viewer to search by address an interactive map of local potential slide hazard areas.
|
 Aerial view of the Oso slide and the new memorial captured by a Snohomish County Emergency Management drone.
With flood season on the wane, now is a good time to think about wildfire. Around here, the risk increases during drier weather, and especially when winds come down out of the Cascade Range from the east.
In 2023, we joined emergency managers across much of the Puget Sound region in adopting Ready, Set, Go! alerts. These clear, straightforward messages are intended to save lives when people may need to evacuate areas at risk of wildfires or other emergencies.
The graphic below describes the recommended steps during each Ready, Set, Go! alert phase. It is available for viewing on the wildfire pages on the Snohomish County Public Safety Hub in English and Spanish.
Want to become more confident that you are ready for natural and human-caused emergencies? Consider signing up for When Disaster Strikes: Prepare, Act, Survive, a great hands-on training opportunity.
This year we are again working with Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service and community partners to host sessions of this FREE 1.5 day weekend course. It is designed to better prepare people ages 14+ to help themselves, their families and others during disasters. As was the case last year, the Marysville training is geared toward students with disabilities or access and functional needs, their families and caregivers.
Use the links below to learn more and to register:
Everett – Sept. 21-22
Marysville – Sept. 28-29
Snohomish – Oct. 5-6
 A class attendee practices using an improvised tool to break through a wall.
Make sure you can access critical information during emergencies. Sign up for SnoCoAlerts to receive emergency messages on your phone when it matters most.
|
