The recent 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, killed many more people and caused far more damage than the September 2010 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck the same area; the reason: even though this earthquake was weaker than last year's event, it was much shallower; was situated directly under Christchurch; hit during the lunch hour when more people were exposed to damage; and shook sediments that were prone to "liquefaction," which can magnify the damage done by the ground shaking; scientists say the same description nicely fits many major cities and towns in Washington, Oregon, California, and British Columbia.

- See the full post at: www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/nz-earthquake-illustrates-risks-us-west-coast

Yes, 2012! More is to come, and you can consult Chief Lipe or Exercise Czar Rick Wallace for all the details, but for now please just add the following dates to next year’s calendar:

2012 Exercise Series Functional Exercise: June 5-6 Logistics Drill: June 12-14 Recovery TTX: August 15 & 22 Overview Evergreen Quake is a series of three exercises that is intended to test the ability of local, state, federal and tribal governments, as well as select private sector entities located within the eight-county...

Although this is dated (from July 26, 2010), it is unlikely these dates will change as they have generally been used for some years. It also helps us realize how to take part most effectively in planning (and funding!) efforts for the county. It comes from Jennifer Schaal, UASI Program Manager, Washington State Emergency Management Division.

Additional information on state level grants (i.e., primarily for counties I suspect, but perhaps open to Vashon directly) can be found at: www.emd.wa.gov/grants/grants_index.shtml

January FY11 Write IJs and obtain stakeholder reviews (EMD w/optional input)     February FY11 IJs continue...     March IJs continue...   FY11 Core Group approves final project list ...

The Pacific Northwest is exploring solutions that can provide officials an overview of a regional event.

The existing situation is very fragmented:

WA State is currently using ESI’s WebEOC (for which Vashon has an account) & ESiWebFUSION but this has an older architecture & cumbersome user interface and doesn’t readily allow integration with other technologies in use elsewhere.

The state has a wrapper or GIS based viewer for WebEOC, known as the Washington Information Sharing Environment (WISE) that also aggregates additional data (including from the military, as it was developed by the National Guard)

I’m not aware of what FEMA or DHS uses, but I suspect it is something else.

Neighboring states use WebEOC and other custom solutions. (Oregon is adopting – with some trouble- a more regional system: Virtual Emergency Network of Multnomah, for instance.)

King County has an independent...

At the 2/8 refresher, Rick & Deb Brown of VIFR kindly came with their daughter and helped local Vashon CERT members practice first aid and bandaging techniques on each other – including participant Rex Stratton. Here are a few photos (click on them to open larger pictures):



...

Bellevue’s MRP Engineering has a new engineering bulletin entitled Chile Recovers From 2010 M8.8 Earthquake that looks at progress made since their M8.8 earthquake February 27th, 2010. It concludes with these implications:

Chile is making headway in rebuilding its heartland following a massive subduction zone earthquake that affected modern structures as far away as Santiago (335 km from the epicenter). However, the recovery from a major earthquake need not be a lengthy process. Organizations with earthquake exposures can learn from this event and should consider proactive steps to enhance safety, reduce damage, and minimize downtime. • Review business recovery plans to include dedicated resources (contactors, suppliers, and engineers). • For existing operations, assess earthquake risks (buildings, contents, and critical lifelines) and identify specific areas of improvement relative to safety and business risks. • For proposed construction, perform independent design reviews to verify...

This is likely the last year that VMIRC will build and sell J-Poles to local hams so get them while you can! Here are some pics of the group assembling in Meadow Creature’s facility.

...

Congrats to VIFR and especially Chris Coley and Chief Lipe and others who put a lot of work replacing the functionality of www.VIFR.org with a new portal based website from Firehouse Solutions. Check VIFR’s new web site which has a history, photos of all the island’s equipment, lots of background on the fire district, and more information for volunteers and the public. There is a private side to the web site also that security offers much additional functionality to staff and volunteers.

A new web site started yesterday and is already making many waves by attempting to be the ultimate portal for discussing Social Media’s impact for Emergency Management. Looks like an interesting source of best practices and ideas as we start crafting our own Vashon specific Social Media strategy/plan…

Check it out at: www.sm4em.org!

23-27 January Washington State Convention Center

12:00–4:00 p.m Free of Charge and Open to All! Teachers, students, families!  Mark your calendar for the American Meteorological Society’s 10th Annual WeatherFest, a cool, super-size science fair to teach you all about the weather, climate and related fields.

What is WeatherFest? WeatherFest is an interactive science and weather fair designed to instill a love for math and science in children of all ages and to spark a young person’s interest in this area so they may consider...

California has more risk of catastrophic storms than any other region in the country – even the Southern hurricane states, according to a new study released Thursday.

The two-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey is the most thorough effort yet to assess the potential effects of a "worst-case" storm in California.

It builds on a new understanding of so-called atmospheric rivers, a focusing of high-powered winds that drag a fire hose of tropical moisture across the Pacific Ocean, pointed directly at California for days on end. The state got a relatively tame taste of the phenomenon in December.

The team of experts that developed the scenario can't say when it will happen. But they do say it has happened in the past and is virtually certain to strike again.

...

The declaration (noted at www.seattlepi.com/local/433304_emergency12.html) would presumably make affected homeowners and businesses eligible for low cost loans and other assistance.

Does anyone on Vashon know this process and how to best support locals seeking such assistance for this or any future disaster? If so, please contact me as I’m curious about this process.

www.safecomprogram.gov/NR/rdonlyres/132003E7-6C43-4E15-97D6-A2A4E5A2704F/0/GrantProgramsforSAFECOMWebsite.pdf has a huge list of grant programs – many of which we are eligible to apply for. Indeed if you see a critical need (and can properly justify it!) for funds for a key program, I suspect we can likely find funds for it…

This overview was mentioned in today’s release of the Fiscal Year 2011 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants (www.safecomprogram.gov) for use...

enableUS & The Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network Present:

The 2011 enABLED in Emergencies Conference March 2-3, 2011 • Tacoma, WA ________________________________________ "If you are waiting for a situation to develop, you are going to lose your ability to change the outcome." Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator

About This Conference This day and a half conference is hosted by enableUS and the Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) and will examine some of the greatest challenges that emergency management, disability, public health and human services communities face when responding to disasters and emergencies.  This interactive and engaging seminar will focus on new FEMA sheltering guidelines, emergency evacuations for disability communities, jurisdictional liability issues and building collaborative community partnerships.  Regional issues such as ice storms, flooding and earthquakes will be discussed as well as the effectiveness of special needs registries,...

Portland was the forum for the latest long range weather forecast, earlier this week. Many gruesome details are at:

http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf

but the summary is simply:



Click image above for a full-size version

And



...

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Report--We-re-Not-Ready-For-Bioterrorism/2010-12-28/Article.aspx?oid=1294626&fid= has the following of some interest:

If a major disease incident or bioterrorism attack were to occur today, the United States would not be read for it. That’s according to a new report supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In fact, the report says “there’s an emergency for emergency health preparedness in the United States.” It calls attention to significant local, state and federal budget cuts and the impact they have had on public health departments’ ability to maintain staff capabilities, and their ability to respond to crises. Key findings include: * 21 states were not able to rapidly identify disease-causing E.coli O157:H7 and submit the lab results...

U.S. Geological Survey: Twitter Earthquake Detector (TED) reports that “the USGS is developing a system that gathers real-time, earthquake-related messages from the social networking site Twitter and applies place, time, and key word filtering to gather geo-located accounts of shaking. This approach provides rapid first-impression narratives and, potentially, photos from people at the hazard’s location.” http://fcw.com/articles/2010/07/19/web-app-usgs-twitter.aspx indicates that the USGS will supplement their official data with photographs and...

The Sound Shake 2010 Incident Log entries have been removed from the Incident Log so they won’t get confused with whatever new records might eventually get put in next. An Excel file of these is available for download by EOC members from the document repository (under Planning | Msg Ctr | Incident Specific Docs). Note that the spreadsheet includes lots of additional columns and hasn't yet been formatted nicely, but all the data is there.

 

 





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...

FEMA offers a great set of coursework you can take over the Internet. Now they’ve announced some new courses: The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) offers self-paced courses designed for people who have emergency management responsibilities and the general public. All are offered free-of-charge to those who qualify for enrollment. To get a complete listing of courses, click on Course List link above.

FEMA’s Independent Study Program offers courses that support the nine mission areas identified by the National Preparedness Goal.

Incident Management

Operational Planning

Disaster Logistics

Emergency Communications

Service to Disaster Victims

Continuity Programs

Public Disaster Communications

Integrated Preparedness

Hazard Mitigation

New Courses Launched IS-18.11 - FEMA EEO Employee Course 2011...

This is (nearly) the title of the latest USGS fact sheet #3023 summarizing what could happen if a 7.1 earthquake happened along the Tacoma Fault Zone, as recently modeled by scientists.



"The U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating scientists have recently assessed the effects of a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on the Tacoma Fault Zone in Pierce County, Washington. A quake of comparable magnitude struck the southern Puget Sound region about 1,100 years ago, and similar earthquakes are almost certain to occur in the future. The region is now home to hundreds of thousands of people, who would be at risk from the shaking, liquefaction, landsliding, and tsunamis caused by such an earthquake. The modeled effects of this scenario earthquake will help emergency planners and residents of the region prepare for future quakes." - Report’s...

Forward, from an email to SKCOAD partners:

I wanted to pass along a free training opportunity that we received notice about from the Snohomish COAD.  “Hands on Diversity” is a series of cultural workshops being offered at the Everett Performing Arts Center, 2710 Wetmore Avenue in downtown Everett and are open to the public:

 

Saturday, Oct. 9: Native American culture:  9 a.m. to noon & Latin American culture:  1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 16: Asian Pacific culture:  9 a.m. to noon & African American culture:  1 to 4 p.m.

To register, please contact Therese Quinn or register ONLINE http://everettwa.org/CityNews.aspx?ID=1&nID=928

Therese Quinn-Burke Snohomish County Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator 3509 - 109th Street SW Everett, WA   98204 (office) 425-388-5075 therese.quinn@snoco.org tquinn@shd.snohomish.wa.gov

...

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!

...

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.

...

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?

...

"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.

...

A pair of loud sonic booms heard around the Seattle area shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday were caused by two F-16 jets, according to Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

By Seattle Times staff

A pair of loud sonic booms heard around the Seattle area shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday were caused by two F-16 jets, according to Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The F-16s were being "scrambled" because someone flew a plane inside the "temporary flight restrictions" area set up around Boeing Field, he said.

President Obama landed at Boeing Field as part of his tour of Seattle Tuesday, which includes a stop at a bakery, the Westin Hotel, and fundraisers.

The airspace can be restricted for up to a 30-mile radius around an area, and up to 18,000 feet high, according to the notice.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012647005_sonicbooms18m.html

In a Report and Order (R&O) released Wednesday, July 14, the FCC stated that under new guidelines, amateurs employed by non-governmental agencies, such as hospitals, may participate and operate in drills sponsored by their employer. Specifically, the FCC will now permit Amateur Radio operators "to transmit messages, under certain limited circumstances, during either government-sponsored or non-government sponsored emergency and disaster preparedness drills, regardless of whether the operators are employees of entities participating in the drill." More information will be posted on the ARRL Web site.

-- www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2010-07-15

Red Cross Encourages Safety During Excessive Heat American Red Cross As the temperature continues to increase as it is predicted to this week, the American Red Cross encourages individuals and families to take the necessary precautions for excessive heat.  The very young and the elderly are especially vulnerable to the heat so it is important that families and friends check on them regularly.  People with chronic health issues are also at greater risk and need to take special care to stay healthy in the heat.

Preventing Heat-Related Illness There are several precautions you can take to avoid heat-related injury and illness. • Dress for the heat. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing (light colors reflect away some of the sun's energy) and use a hat or an umbrella.

• Carry water or juice with you and drink frequently, even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body.

• Make sure to check on youth and elderly to make sure they have enough fluids....

Date:  Sunday, 11-Jul

Time:  1400 – 1700

Where:  Pt Robinson Lighthouse upper parking lot

Equipment:  CERT helmet and safety vest.  Long sleeve shirts and long pants with closed toe shoes or boots suitable for uneven terrain.

If you have an FRS, hand-held radio please bring it, if not we will have radios you can borrow. We have run two of these events before - once in December, it was cold and rainy, but fun.  Once at the end of May, it was heavenly.  We expect this weekend to be very enjoyable and we will learn a lot.

If you have any questions, please call Catherine at 463.4558. She can send you the Training Authorization for this Sunday's training.  It contains many details such as time, place, agenda, equipment, communication.

...

The Nominations Committee has started considering nominations for the VashonBePrepared Board of Directors upcoming election. If you are interested in serving as an At-Large candidate, please contact anyone on the nominations committee: May Gerstle, Jan Milligan, and John Cornelison. Presidents of our member organizations () will also be asked to serve as ex officio representatives – or appoint a representative.

www.soundshake2010.com is the spot if find everything out about “Sound Shake 2010, a Regional Catastrophic Earthquake Exercise Series being designed and implemented by Washington State Region Six - Homeland Security to build and test response and recovery plans.”

FEMA Administrator Fugate Applauds President Obama's Appointment Of Kenneth Murphy As Regional Administrator
Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:00:54 -0500

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today applauded President Obama's appointment of Kenneth Dean Murphy as FEMA Regional Administrator for Region X, which encompasses Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

John is setting up a future meeting with Verizon Wireless for later in June/July. Contact Tom Nicolino or John for updates on this.

Public Health Seattle & King County & the King County Healthcare Coalition will be offering our free Business Resiliency Workshop for Healthcare Providers this summer.

Due to the complexities that H1N1 Pandemic presented, and possible flooding of the Green River Valley, we will be focusing the content more closely on preparing, responding and recovering from these events. Registration is open to all healthcare organizations who provide direct patient care in King County.

If you have not registered yet, there is still space available! Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible.

The workshop will be held in Shoreline on June 29 - June 30, 2010.

Further details will be sent upon registration.

Thank you!

King County Healthcare Coalition

Public Health – Seattle & King County

HCC@kingcounty.gov

Fax: 206-296-0166

Visit us at: http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/hccoalition.aspx

NOTE: Vashon EOC and CERT volunteers are generally NOT Emergency Responders, so do not attend the following presuming you’ll be ready to jump into action locally! Instead consider this as a way to learn what the professionals will be doing and use the opportunity to learn the proper vocabulary and potential situations that can arise around this type of accident.

There are openings still available for July/September Emergency Responder Training The course provides information firefighters, police and other emergency response personnel will find useful when confronted with an incident involving natural gas or high-voltage power-lines. The half-day training session will provide an overview of the properties, equipment and emergency procedures necessary to identify hazards and reduce the risk to people and property. Program format will include classroom instruction using energized high-voltage equipment and video re-enactments of natural gas incidents and response scenarios. Training held at PSE's Seattle...

Check it out: a new EOC Core Activation Team list is now up on the wiki at:

http://vashoneoc.org/Reference/Wiki/tabid/112/Default.aspx?topic=EOC+Core+Activiation+Team

Of interest on KCTS-9:
Cascadia: The Hidden Fire
Tuesday, 6/8/10, at 8:00 p.m.
Seismic events around the globe offer insight into the super-quake-prone areas along the Pacific Rim. Producer Michael Lienau will join us in studio.

Also note that KUOW, 94.9 FM, local NPR affiliate also hosted a series on Earthquakes this last week to apparently coincide with the KCTS show.

EMACS is both the King County Emergency Management Advisory Committee and the Homeland Security Region 6 Homeland Security Council. The latest org chart lists the key players. This is also available long range on the wiki at: http://vashoneoc.org/Reference/KingCounty.aspx

Of interest on KCTS-9:
Cascadia: The Hidden Fire
Tuesday, 6/8/10, at 8:00 p.m.
Seismic events around the globe offer insight into the super-quake-prone areas along the Pacific Rim. Producer Michael Lienau will join us in studio.

Also note that KUOW, 94.9 FM, local NPR affiliate also hosted a series on Earthquakes this last week to apparently coincide with the KCTS show.

We now have limited access to the evolving King County SharePoint web site that they will be using for situational awareness. Details on this will be maintained in the wiki, but let John know if you are interested in finding out more as it expands.

Camp Murray, Wash. – Washington state will observe Disaster Preparedness Month in April. Disaster Preparedness Month activities will include a statewide earthquake drill between 9:45 a.m. and 10 a.m. on April 21.

“I encourage all citizens to increase their knowledge and awareness of proper safety measures to follow before, during and after a disaster” during Disaster Preparedness Month, said Gov. Chris Gregoire. She added that programs offered by city, county and state emergency management agencies will promote the value of preparedness throughout the state.

A regular monthly test of the Emergency Alert System will initiate the statewide drop, cover and hold earthquake drill. In addition, King County and the cities of Auburn, Kent, Renton and Tukwila will test their Code Red and reverse 9-1-1 notification systems.

As part of the campaign, emergency preparedness information will be sent to schools across Washington. Preparedness information for schools, businesses and homes also will be available...

Copies of the Log Summary Page from the 24Oct09 Blizzard Exercise have been posted (and subsequently moved to the Document Exchange - under Planning | Msg Ctr | Incident Specific Docs - that only registered EOC volunteers can access). Use the .MHT file if you are on Windows, as it has a couple (minor) embedded graphics files - which won't show up on the .HTM version.

Do note that links on either page won't work - at least not outside VIFR's firewall, and likely not unless you are on one the VashonEOC computers.