By John Cornelison on
4/15/2014 7:47 AM
Somewhat serendipitously, the New York Times Retro Report has come out with a special report on earthquake preparedness published April 13th – the same month as the Pacific Northwest’s 1949 and 1965 earthquakes. They prepared an 11 minute video that unfortunately focuses mostly on California and Oregon – but hopefully will spur us all to action. California and the Pacific Northwest are clearly not yet adequately prepared...
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By John Cornelison on
4/14/2014 7:58 AM
Thursday, April 24, 2014, 6:00 – 7:00pm UW Science Now Shelley Chestler: Slow Earthquakes Michelle Weirathmueller: Quakes and Whales Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. $5. Double Feature! Science Western Washington is due for “ The Big One,”...
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By John Cornelison on
3/5/2014 9:25 PM
Calling all Radioheads … and anyone else who wants to learn more about volunteer emergency communications! The 2014 Communications Academy, on the campus of South Seattle Community College, is just a few weeks away. See the link below for more information & register now for this excellent event. This year’s keynote speakers: Bill Schrier, FirstNet, and Harold Kramer, Boston Marathon Volunteer. The academy provides two days of training and information on various...
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By John Cornelison on
2/23/2014 6:38 AM
Friday February 21, 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Voice of Vashon’s (VoV) application for an FM radio station – along with over 1000 other low-power FM applicants nationwide. Fourteen years ago a small group of volunteers dared to dream that Vashon could have its own live radio voice. Now, that dream has come true. While much of the infrastructure is in place for the station to go live, a new FM...
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By John Cornelison on
1/21/2014 7:42 AM
Free Preparedness Workshop From VashonBePrepared & Vashon Chamber of Commerce Monday January 27th 6:30 to 8:30pm Land Trust building (10014 SW Bank Rd.) Advance Registration Required so Click Here: http://goo.gl/n1bLPg Prepare Your Business for Disaster & Disruption. 40% of businesses do not reopen after a disaster and an additional 25% go dark within one year according to FEMA. Especially important...
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By John Cornelison on
1/7/2014 7:55 AM
“For the first time in two decades, the world's costliest natural disasters in 2013 were not in the USA, according to a report released today by Munich Re, the world's largest reinsurance firm. Last year, the most expensive weather disasters were in Europe, which...
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By John Cornelison on
1/6/2014 1:46 PM
A graph showing the relationship between eruption volume and time between eruptions, using the models presented in Carrichi and others (2014). Notice how for buoyancy-driven eruptions (in blue), the time between eruptions doesn’t vary much across a wide range of volumes. Image: Figure 3 from Caricchi and others (2014), Nature Geoscience. The study’s upshot is that Yellowstone Caldera (and the other 20+ supervolcano sites) are more likely than previously thought to explode without the aid of an earthquake. A big one could drastically lower global...
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By John Cornelison on
11/7/2013 8:11 AM
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By John Cornelison on
11/5/2013 8:58 AM
The Northwest faces poorer forest health (more forest fires), earlier snowmelt (lower stream flows) and raised sea levels (eroding coasts), according to Monday’s release of the Northwest Climate Assessment Report (NWCAR, 2013). Impacts might total some $14 billion dollars...
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By John Cornelison on
10/22/2013 7:59 AM
VashonBePrepared Community Summit Leaders from the Vashon community came together for the first VashonBePrepared Community Summit Saturday morning at Chautauqua School. Moderated by President Rick Wallace and Vice-President Bob Smueles, the group brainstormed for over 3 hours on current community need if a disaster were to befall us. Specifically the group...
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By John Cornelison on
10/18/2013 4:34 PM
Saturday VashonBePrepared will hold it’s annual membership meeting, open to the public, from 8:30 am – noon at Chautauqua Elementary School. Purpose Develop a consensus among the community leaders on: What the Island community needs to survive and recover from an incident that would impact the entire community, and How best to meet those needs. This will be followed by the requisite VashonBePrepared...
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By John Cornelison on
10/18/2013 4:13 PM
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By John Cornelison on
9/16/2013 4:44 PM
You can share your views about transportation needs with Senate Transportation Committee members at public forums on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in Bellevue and Monday, Oct. 14 in downtown Seattle. These “listening sessions” are part of a statewide tour hosted by the Washington State Department of Transportation. At least half of each meeting...
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By John Cornelison on
9/12/2013 8:12 PM
King County has told the local cities that it does not plan to provide snowplowing services to Tier 2 through 5 roads this winter due to budget cuts. Click here to see which roads in unincorporated King County are currently identified as Tier 1 through 5, and to see contact information for questions. (Hint only Vashon Highway is rated as a tier one road.) The County may in fact plow as resources become available, but is suggesting that it may not be in a timely fashion. Details on the county’s ice & snow program can be found at: www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/Roads/SnowAndIce.aspx We are unaware of actual staffing changes locally so...
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By John Cornelison on
9/10/2013 7:22 AM
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Time and again, America faces crises that test our readiness and challenge our resolve -- from natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods to shootings, cyber incidents, and even acts of terrorism. While my Administration is working tirelessly to avert national tragedies, it is every American's responsibility to be prepared. By planning for emergencies, individuals can protect themselves...
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By John Cornelison on
9/5/2013 10:03 AM
While scientists can't predict when a great earthquake producing a pan-Pacific tsunami will occur, thanks to new tools being developed by federal and state officials, scientists can now offer more accurate insight into the likely impacts when tsunamis occur. This knowledge can lead officials and the public to reduce the risk of the future tsunamis that will impact the west coast. Maximum current speeds for the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB), according to the SAFRR Tsunami Scenario. In the POLA, currents are strongest at Angels Gate, the Cabrillo Marina, the Boat Yard, and the old Navy Yard. Once...
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By John Cornelison on
8/7/2013 8:28 AM
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) provide free notifications of imminent threats to safety or missing persons to your mobile device. In order to receive WEAs, you must have a capable device and be located in an area (e.g., county) targeted by Authorized Senders to receive one of 3 types of alerts: Presidential Alerts – Alerts issued by the President or a designee; Imminent Threat Alerts – Alerts that include severe man-made or natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc., where an imminent threat to life or property exists; and AMBER Alerts– Alerts that meet the U.S. Department of Justice's criteria to help law enforcement search for and locate...
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By John Cornelison on
7/15/2013 7:55 AM
As our culture becomes ever more dependent on electricity, the current distribution system has a huge vulnerability – induced current from external electrical flux. One source of such an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) would be a nuclear bomb (or a dedicated gamma ray bomb that North Korea...
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By John Cornelison on
7/11/2013 1:30 PM
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By John Cornelison on
7/5/2013 7:50 AM
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By John Cornelison on
7/4/2013 1:13 PM
Overview of Vashon's Status and Systems for Disaster Response This 3-hour overview, VashonBePrepared 101, is a great introduction to the systems in place on Vashon for major disasters, and an update on the status of our readiness. It's free and open to the public, with a packed agenda covering all the components we have assembled here to work in partnership...
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By John Cornelison on
6/24/2013 9:56 AM
Some 50 cyclists tested their disaster preparedness skills at the 1st Seattle Disaster Relief Trial. It was held near the University of Washington on June 21st. According to their Facebook event listing: “Imagine a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hitting the Seattle Fault. Freeway overpasses crumble, a Lake Washington sieche (oscillating wave) takes chunks out of bridges. Motor vehicles are rendered useless, but following the example of Sandy Relief by bike, Seattle residents with bikes and trailers or cargo bikes are able to transport food and medical...
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By John Cornelison on
6/21/2013 9:27 AM
The U.S. National Climatic Data Center’s (NCDC) announced that according to their 2012 weather and climate disasters information, 2012 saw 11 weather and climate disaster events each with losses exceeding $1 billion in damages. This makes 2012 the second costliest year since 1980, with a total of more than $110 billion in damages throughout the year. The 2012 total damages rank only behind 2005, which incurred $160 billion in damages due in part to four devastating land-falling hurricanes. The 2012 billion-dollar events included seven severe weather and tornado events, two tropical...
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By John Cornelison on
6/17/2013 10:39 AM
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By John Cornelison on
6/17/2013 6:09 AM
Last October, the American Red Cross released a free Wildfire App for iPhone and Android platforms, which allows users to track blazes this summer. Features: • Step-by-step instructions let you know what to do even before/during/after an wildfire, even if no data connectivity. • Get notified about current wildfires or wildfire-conducive weather. • Let family and friends know...
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By John Cornelison on
6/14/2013 10:07 AM
If you have even been curious about the potential impact of all those various earthquakes that geologists have identified – and see which might have the largest impact for a general region like Vashon Island (i.e., parcel level damage estimates are NOT supported!), then check out the State Seismic Hazards Catalog. ...
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By John Cornelison on
6/14/2013 8:28 AM
Canadian scientists apply new methods to better understand Pacific coast earthquakes Understanding the size and frequency of large earthquakes along the Pacific coast of North America is of great importance, not just to scientists, but also to government planners and the general public. The only way to predict the frequency and intensity of the ground motion expected from large and giant "megathrust " earthquakes along Canada's west coast is to analyze the geologic record. A new study...
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By John Cornelison on
6/14/2013 6:34 AM
The Vashon Maury Island Radio Club and VashonBePrepared invites the public to visit Vashon’s amateur radio volunteers at our 2013 Field Day event. Vashon Hams gather at Sunrise Ridge on June 22 & 23 for Field Day’s 80th anniversary to compete in the largest single amateur radio and emergency preparedness exercise, with over 35,000 operators participating throughout the US & Canada. Local ham volunteers...
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By John Cornelison on
2/12/2013 3:04 AM
Every spring in Tacoma there is a great conference for meeting and sharing ideas with a wide range of disaster experts. Early Bird Registration closes at the end of the month! Why Attend Successful management of emergencies can only be accomplished through effective and pre-established partnerships. This conference offers you the opportunity to develop those relationships; gain the necessary information to develop your response, recovery, and mitigation plans; create your preparedness messaging to those you serve; and gain valuable insight into lessons learned and established best practices. This is the largest and most successful regional emergency management preparedness conference in the Pacific Northwest – attracting attendees from: Emergency...
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By John Cornelison on
1/24/2013 9:26 AM
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) is pleased to announce a 1 ½ hour webinar on Reducing the Risks of Nonstructural Earthquake Damage (FEMA E-74). Please join and share this opportunity with other individuals and organizations who might be interested. See details below and in the attachment. Webinar Description Nonstructural components of buildings include all elements that are not part of the structural...
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By John Cornelison on
1/19/2013 4:53 PM
Congratulations to Vashon islander Daniel Luechtefeld for Training to support his community, Volunteering (with VashonBePrepared, VIFR, VMIRC, ARES and other community organizations), Responding and actually saving a neighbor’s life, and Volunteering to help make a video of that dramatic rescue. Daniel has served on the VashonBePrepared Board for a couple years now as the Vashon Maury Island Radio Club (VMIRC)’s...
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By John Cornelison on
1/3/2013 8:32 AM
The Main Himalayan Thrust has historically been responsible for a magnitude 8 to 9 earthquake every several hundred years. (Illustration: Warren Caldwell) Will a megathrust earthquake strike the NW in 2013? New Years brings out speculators, and this time it is the Seattle PI, which quotes the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network’s director John Vidale and Stanford University geophysics professor Paul Segall whose studies indicate some potential links between "episodic tremor and slip,"or ETS activity and subsequent quakes. According to the Stanford release: ...
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By John Cornelison on
12/7/2012 10:22 AM
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By John Cornelison on
10/30/2012 7:44 AM
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By John Cornelison on
10/30/2012 7:16 AM
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By John Cornelison on
10/8/2012 9:40 AM
Congrats to the variety of people (but especially Randall Bardwell with assistance by Tim Hardy) for huge new progress on getting a second repeater up and (soon) operational for Vashon’s amateur radio community. While it will be able to serve as a backup to the existing W7VMI club repeater, it also is vastly more modern with a super flexible architecture that will allow a much broader array of services and modes in the future. This likely will play a role in enhancing emergency communications in coming years. Rick Wallace was instrumental in coordinating the Sun rise Ridge board, Voice of Vashon PSE and Potelco to obtain permission and actually get the new antennas installed as shown to the right. See all his photos, a video, and read more...
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By John Cornelison on
10/8/2012 8:57 AM
On Saturday October 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vashon Island Fire & Rescue will open its doors to the public for their annual Open House at the end of Fire Prevention Week. There will be a flu shot clinic from getaflushot.com, training demonstrations at the Penny Farcy Training Center across the street, "hands on" the fire hose, as well as displays by VashonBePrepared, CERT and the Red Cross. The following items will be for sale: WHAT'S COOKIN' AT VIFR cookbook; bike, skating, equestrian and ski helmets; "blue" address signs and registration for upcoming CPR classes. ...
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By John Cornelison on
9/28/2012 6:48 AM
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By John Cornelison on
9/25/2012 8:55 AM
Be ready for an earthquake with Earthquake by American Red Cross. Get notified when an earthquake occurs, prepare your family and home, find help and let others know you are safe even if the power is out – a must have for anyone who lives in an earthquake-prone area or has loved ones who do. FEATURES: •Step-by-step instructions let you know what to do even before/during/after an earthquake, even if no data connectivity. •Get notified when an earthquake occurs; see the intensity impact to your area or those of loved-ones with notifications generated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). •Let family and friends know you are okay with the customizable “I’m Safe” alert for Facebook, Twitter, email and text. •Find open Red...
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By John Cornelison on
9/14/2012 9:04 AM
President Obama has declared 20 more disasters than in 2010 and 2 times the numbers declared by President George W. Bush in his first two years in the White House. Are there really that many more disasters though? Despite all the severe weather this year and portent for much more ahead (partially due to massive declines in Artic Ice levels) and resultant economic losses (e.g., a huge downturn in salmon runs), there may also be some politics at play, with Obama being pressured to declare disasters according to this ABC News report.
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By John Cornelison on
9/1/2012 7:30 AM
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By John Cornelison on
9/1/2012 7:11 AM
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By John Cornelison on
8/31/2012 7:49 AM
You only have seconds. Do you know exactly what to do the moment the ground starts shaking? If it involves a doorway, a triangle, or running – these are not quake-safe actions. Register now at www.ShakeOut.org/washington/register to learn more and practice updated quake safety. Be a part of Washington’s ShakeOut drill.
You are invited to join thousands of people who will Drop, Cover, and Hold On on October 18th at 10:18 a.m. in the 2012 Great Washington ShakeOut!
More than 12.5 million people were registered...
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By John Cornelison on
8/27/2012 6:21 AM
The Vashon Beachcomber has just published a nice story about CERT’s new equestrian team which has been organized by Beth Kellner with help from Penni Symonds, Wanda Moore,...
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By John Cornelison on
8/27/2012 6:08 AM
After some 7 years in a conference room in VIFR’s main Station 55, the Vashon Emergency Operations Center (EOC) may be relocated next year to the VIFR Association Building across the street. Slightly larger, the room would be shared with King County...
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By John Cornelison on
8/2/2012 9:48 AM
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By John Cornelison on
7/28/2012 12:44 PM
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By John Cornelison on
7/27/2012 11:53 AM
Barb Graff, Director of Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management has just announced the hire of Tracy Connelly as Seattle Office of Emergency Management’s new Community Planning Coordinator. Tracy starts August 1st. Tracy Connelly has been a Public Outreach Specialist at OEM working with access and functional needs, immigrant and refugee, homeless, and multi-cultural populations. In...
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By John Cornelison on
7/27/2012 8:00 AM
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By John Cornelison on
7/26/2012 8:58 AM
As they indicate below, this appears to be a pretty basic course, but by clicking on one of the initial pages you can see much of the complete course outline and quickly skim it to see how much of it is applicable to your family or business. This outline serves as a great reminder of all the steps we should be taking – and a reminder for us to complete those missing action items that we’d not completed (or refreshed) recently! The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is pleased to announce a new web-based, independent study training course, IS-325—Earthquake Basics: Science, Risk, and Mitigation. ...
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