The WA State Emergency Managers Association annual conference was held this last week and some of the materials from that are now available online for any of us who were unable to make the conference.

Presentation slides and photos from the conference are available at the WSEMA website at www.wsema.org .  See "2010 Conference Presentations" on the left side menu.

The videos embedded in Claire Bonilla's Microsoft presentation were too large to load onto the WSEMA website. For more information,...

If you’ve not seen it, there is a good map of local faults, with a brief write-up at www.pnsn.org/INFO_GENERAL/puget_faults.html

Click on the image for a larger view.

Cliff Mass’ long-term forecast points to a cold and wet winter ahead

“There is a strong correlation between the temperature of the tropical Pacific and the general character of our weather”

The fall is forecast to be significantly wetter than normal and the winter somewhat so. Fall temperatures are predicted to be normal, but the winter should be cooler than normal.

While the mountains will have the heaviest snows, more than average is forecast for our lowlands too.

- http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2010/09/long-term-forecast.html

Deals on ski area passes have another week or two to run, so don’t delay!

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If you want to disaster proof yourself, consider putting your critical (but non-private) files on a server. Unless you are the trusting type, use this as a backup – or keep a backup on a hard drive that you control. I’ve used www.DropBox.com, but here is a listing of many more options:

www.webdesignbooth.com/file-hosting-websites-for-you-to-upload-and-share-files-with-your-friends

Historically Vashon has had a few major wildfires:

1893: in August 1893 a fire began in the logged off area near the present high school where the first saw mill was located.  The fire rages for two days and nights, "nearly a hundred" volunteers "fought desperately against apparently hopeless odds, with shovels and hoes and rakes, to save the new Baptist Church and the Presbyterian Church at Center, and the Fuller store across the street.  With the flames within two hundred yards of Center, the wind shifted to the north on the evening of the second day, allowing fire fighters finally gain control of the fire.

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My sister/brother-in-law live in Boulder, CO (to the west of Broadway), and here are a couple news releases detailing what to do in a fire situation that they received yesterday afternoon. Can you imagine what our PI Team would have to write up as a notice in a rush, if we had a wildfire here on Vashon some August afternoon?

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"Prepare Because You Care"
Are you ready ..... for the unthinkable?

September 11th, 10 am - 3 pm
Chapel Hill Church
7700 Skansie Avenue
Gig Harbor, 98335

Neighbors are having info on home earthquake retrofit, anatomy of a disaster response, Dutch oven cooking, fire extinguisher operation, sheltering, food and water management, emergency supplies you can make at home, Rotary Shelter Boxes, Neighborhood emergency teams, and more.

Cathy Rogers has their brochure; they have 53 sponsors listed, including schools, CenturyLink, radio club, FEMA, PEP-C (Peninsula Emergency Preparedness Committee, grocery stores, churches, military, etc.) and you may be able to catch a ride with her.

More info at www.chapelhillpc.com

National Preparedness Month is a nationwide effort held each September. The goal of National Preparedness Month is to increase public awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks, at home, work and school. Events and activities across the nation encourage individuals to get an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, and get involved in preparing their communities. National Preparedness Month is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Ready Campaign.

For information on local National Preparedness Month events, please view the Ready Campaign's website.

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