Start a conversation about preparing for emergencies
September is National Preparedness Month. The annual observance is a great time to consider the natural and human-caused hazards that go along with living in Snohomish County, and to take steps that can help make you and the people you care about more resilient.
This year’s National Preparedness Month theme focuses on starting conversations about emergencies. The Ready.Gov website offers online toolkits to assist in sparking those conversations. Materials are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
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This year we’ve again teamed up with The Daily Herald in Everett and other partners to assemble a disaster preparedness guide filled with information, tips and ideas to help residents stay safe in Snohomish County. A digital version of the guide is available on our website. |
Two years ago this month, the Bolt Creek Fire began burning in the mountains along U.S. 2 that straddle the boundary between Snohomish and King counties. The fire started Sept. 10, 2022. It burned hot for six weeks and scorched nearly 15,000 acres. The myriad challenges posed by the blaze added urgency to improving the community’s ability to respond to wildfires. A team at Emergency Management is now engaged in a two-year planning effort to comprehensively examine protection needs and strategies. The result will be the first countywide Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Key partners include area firefighters, state and federal agencies, local tribes, nonprofits, residents and landowners. If you live in Snohomish County and haven’t already, please take a few minutes to complete our online survey: www.bit.ly/snoco_wildfire_survey
 Photo courtesy Bolt Creek Fire Joint Information Center.
There’s a big reason we urge Snohomish County residents to try to become disaster ready for two weeks or longer. This is earthquake country. Experts say major earthquakes have cut loose in our region before and will do so again. Computer modeling suggests a megaquake – like the one anticipated again some day along the Cascadia Subduction Zone – would cause serious damage to the region’s roads and bridges. Snohomish County likely would be broken into what planners call population islands, and it would take some time before supply chains could be reestablished. We’ve built an interactive map, available in English and Spanish, that helps explain what could happen and where relief efforts may be staged during such a disaster: https://snoco.org/megaquake
During National Preparedness Month, we recommend you start building up a two-week supply of food, water, and medication for you and your pets, and round that out with a first aid kit and other supplies. By preparing for the worst, you are better positioned for lesser hazards. Tips here: https://mil.wa.gov/personal
 Potential population islands in Snohomish County.
What does it mean to get two weeks prepared? How do you start? What if you’re on a budget? In this video, Sammie Keller, community outreach program coordinator at Snohomish County Emergency Management, explains how a visit to a thrift store can help in building out an emergency kit.
 Sammie Keller discusses disaster preparedness on a budget.
On Oct. 17 at 10:17 a.m., Drop, Cover, and Hold On to practice staying safe when the ground shakes. Register for the Great Washington ShakeOut drill to learn more.
 Click the image above to sign up for the ShakeOut.
Do you know what to do when the going gets tough?
Take action by signing up now for a great Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service - TEEX course.This year we're working with partners to host sessions in Marysville and Snohomish. These FREE 1.5-day weekend trainings help people ages 14+ prepare to help themselves, their families and others during disasters. The Marysville training, offered in coordination with the City of Marysville and the Center for Independence, is geared toward students with disabilities or access and functional needs, their families and caregivers.
Register and learn more at the links:
Marysville – Sept. 28-29, 2024 – https://bit.ly/46WVObD
Snohomish – Oct. 5-6, 2024 – https://bit.ly/3yA48kM
 Student breaks through a wall using an improvised tool.
Stay safe, stay informed
Make sure you can access critical information during emergencies. Sign up for SnoCoAlerts to receive emergency messages on your phone when it matters most. The signup process also allows you to create an online Smart911 profile associated with your phone numbers that can help first responders better assist you during emergencies.
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