By John Cornelison on
7/18/2018 10:49 AM
Over a decade ago, about 75 enthusiastic CERT volunteers came out to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, Snohomish County, for the day. That memorable day, in 2003, was the first CERT Expo. The CERT Expo evolved to include continuing education sessions in the morning and participation by volunteers in a disaster exercise in the afternoon. In 2005, the CERT Expo expanded and moved to the Everett Community College. Our intrepid volunteers...
|
By John Cornelison on
6/15/2018 4:36 PM
Vashon Maury Island Radio Club and VashonBePrepared invite the public to visit Vashon’s amateur radio volunteers at next Saturday’s 2018 Field Day event! Vashon Hams gather at our Field Day location atop the Swallow’s Nest Bluff on June 23rd and 24th to compete in the largest single amateur radio and emergency preparedness exercise. It's a fun day to come out and...
|
By John Cornelison on
3/10/2018 2:37 PM
March 31 - Free Seminar Severe weather or an earthquake WILL create these Vashon conditions: The power out for days or longer Homes damaged, roads closed Phones not working well or at all Our Fire Department overloaded with emergency responses Ferries stop serving Vashon – docks may be damaged or boats needed elsewhere Gas, supplies and groceries not arriving from the mainland Families separated – some folks stranded off-island;...
|
By John Cornelison on
3/10/2018 2:29 PM
Vashon Island CERT:
Sponsored by Vashon Island Fire & Rescue….CERT is both a basic course and an active local team of citizens prepared to support the Fire Dept. or Sheriff
A partner with VashonBePrepared, the local network of citizen groups and government agencies dedicated to leading our island in preparedness and response
...
|
By John Cornelison on
2/3/2018 9:51 AM
Sign Up Link What: You’re invited to a South Seattle Home Fair on February 10, 2018, hosted by the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. Here’s your chance to ask an expert about your planned remodel and our permitting process and code requirements. You can also get information about rental housing rules, homeowner assistance, landslide awareness, and much, much more. Who: Whether you’re a homeowner, landlord, renter, or potential homeowner, this event has something for you. When: Saturday, February 10, 2018 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Where: Filipino Community Center 5740 Martin Luther King Jr Way S (The Filipino Community Center is ADA accessible.) Cost: Free Event Contact: Moon Callison, moon.callison@seattle.gov, 206-615-1486 What: We will have several staffed information tables and three helpful presentations: 10:30 – 11:00 a.m. –Earthquake...
|
By John Cornelison on
10/3/2017 9:17 AM
Help your family, neighborhood and community be more prepared! This Saturday VashonBePrepared sponsors the Prepare Fair, from 10am till 2pm at the main fire station. As part of the annual VIFR Open House, your family is invited for: free hot dogs cooked by firefighters, a bouncy house for the wee ones, a chance to sit in a real fire engine, Airlift NW helicopter, prize drawings every half-hour,...
|
By John Cornelison on
9/11/2017 7:57 AM
Severe weather or an earthquake WILL create these Vashon conditions:
The power out for days or longer
Homes damaged, some roads closed
Phones not working well or at all
Vashon Island Fire & Rescue overwhelmed
Ferries stop serving Vashon – docks may be damaged or the boats needed elsewhere
Gas, supplies and groceries not arriving from the mainland
Families separated – some folks stranded off-island; many folks can’t get to work
Learn the ropes to be resilient – not to mention well-fed!
Four hours packed with resources, advice & island...
|
By John Cornelison on
6/18/2017 12:17 PM
Vashon Maury Island Radio Club and VashonBePrepared invites the public to visit Vashon’s amateur radio volunteers at this Saturday’s 2017 Field Day event! Vashon Hams gather at our new Field Day location atop the Swallow’s Nest Bluff on June 24th & 25th to compete in the largest single amateur radio and emergency preparedness exercise. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio. Families and the...
|
By John Cornelison on
6/7/2017 9:44 AM
SEATTLE – A year following one of the nation’s largest domestic drills, lessons-learned continue to guide strategies that improve the Pacific Northwest’s ability to survive and recover from a catastrophic Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake and tsunami. On June 7, 2016, more than 20,000 emergency managers in Idaho, Oregon and Washington kicked off Cascadia Rising 2016, a four-day, large scale exercise to test response and recovery capabilities in the wake of a 9.0 magnitude CSZ earthquake and tsunami. The exercise involved local, state, tribal and federal partners,...
|
By John Cornelison on
3/16/2017 7:50 AM
Although this is still evolving, the initial blueprint of the federal budget has the following language: DHS starts on page 23 of the 62 page document. FEMA preparedness grant language is on page 24. Eliminates or reduces State and local grant funding by $667 million for programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that are either unauthorized by the Congress, such as FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program, or that must provide more measurable results and ensure the Federal Government is not supplanting other stakeholders’ responsibilities, such as the Homeland Security Grant Program. For that reason, the Budget also proposes establishing a 25 percent non-Federal cost match for FEMA preparedness grant awards that currently require no cost match. This is the same cost-sharing approach as FEMA’s disaster recovery grants. The activities and acquisitions funded through these grant programs are primarily State and local functions. • Link to the Trump budget blueprint...
|
By John Cornelison on
2/24/2017 11:37 AM
Your Bookmarks Will Need To Change Too! The National Weather Service’s primary web site www.weather.gov plans to implement an upgrade. The improvement will involve the point ‘n click site specific forecasts and zone forecasts. Once these changes occur on March 7, all your current forecast.weather.gov bookmarks will change. Links to a specific forecast page will display an error message that includes a URL to the new web site location. That is your opportunity to update your bookmarks to provide access to NWS forecasts quickly after the upgrade. The primary focus of the upgrade is to make the forecast pages more reliable during weather events, but there are some benefits of new forecast pages as well that include: · Addition of 7-day hourly forecast information to the point forecast page · A new mobile-friendly landing and graphical/tabular forecast page · Low-bandwidth optimization for all pages, on a partial roll-out at launch ...
|
By John Cornelison on
2/21/2017 8:46 AM
Date: May 5th, 6th, 7th. Hours: 5th - 6PM to 9PM, 6th - 9AM to 5PM, 7th - 10AM to 3PM. Testing will start at 3PM.** **Testing for any level amateur license will be available and open to anyone. Cost $15. Cost: $35 + student to purchase The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 3rd. Edition. Cost varies between Kindle version and paperback. $19 - $26 Place: Vashon Island Fire & Rescue, Main Station 55 - SW Bank Rd. Training class will prepare the participant to take the technician's level amateur radio test being given Sunday, May 7th. Contact Sharon Danielson AE7SD for additional information. kharazi (at) aol.com
|
By John Cornelison on
1/25/2017 7:06 AM
Emergency Preparedness & Response:
A Half Day Basic Class on February 4 ... OR ...A 45-hour Course Packed With Skills
Participation in CERT is highly rewarding for both you and your neighbors. If community support when problems arise is important to you, CERT will likely be an extraordinarily positive experience. CERT originated in Los Angeles in 1994 to support the city fire department, and has been enhanced and extended to hundreds of communities by FEMA to help citizens safely help each other in various emergencies.
The rewards are:
Increased safety at your home & businessIncreased personal preparedness for windstorms, earthquakes and power outages New life-saving and first aid skillsIncreased self-confidence New friendsParticipation in the Vashon communityStylish green hard-hat and hi-vis vest (for team)
Requirements to be on the active team:
Vashon resident - full-time or part-time Very basic physical fitnessBasic CERT course (3 parts; see back of this flyer) Several additional Vashon-specific...
|
By John Cornelison on
1/4/2017 8:35 AM
A number of devastating earthquakes and powerful storms made 2016 the costliest twelve months for natural catastrophe losses in the last four years. Losses totaled US$ 175bn, a good two-thirds more than in the previous year, and very nearly as high as the figure for 2012 (US$ 180bn). The share of uninsured losses – the so-called protection or insurance gap – remained substantial at around 70%....
|
By John Cornelison on
11/18/2016 8:54 AM
A few good (but currently inactive) CERTies needed for January 20 and 27 Refresher The Refresher is an 8-hour review of medical and SAR (Search and Rescue), plus lots of updates for people who took the basic course awhile ago and would like to join the active team. The course is held in two 4-hour sessions on Friday evenings. If you’re currently active with CERT and would like to help with medical or an...
|
By John Cornelison on
11/4/2016 4:06 PM
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee today issued a directive to state agencies to bolster Washington state efforts to prepare for a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. The directive establishes a new Resilient Washington subcabinet charged with providing a coordinated approach to preparing for and responding to a major earthquake or tsunami. The subcabinet’s efforts will address everything from educating the public about personal preparedness to planning for major disruptions to utility and fuel services and destruction of major roads, bridges and airports. The subcabinet will also develop recommendations and plans for ensuring availability of medical and human service operations. “We know the question isn’t ‘if’ a large-scale earthquake will happen in our state, but how well we will be prepared,” Inslee said. “While there’s no way to fully anticipate all the impacts a large-scale earthquake will have on our infrastructure,...
|
By John Cornelison on
10/23/2016 2:52 PM
|
By John Cornelison on
10/21/2016 11:23 AM
The Seattle/King County Clinic is a giant four-day FREE clinic. Healthcare professionals from around the region volunteer to provide quality dental, vision, and medical care. Patients receive free healthcare services including dental fillings and extractions, complete eye exams, free prescription eyeglasses, mammograms, Pap smears, flu vaccine, foot care, and much more. When: Thursday, October 27 through Sunday, October 30 Where: Tickets will be distributed at the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center, 200 Thomas St (2nd North & Thomas St). The Clinic will be held at Key Arena at Seattle Center, 401 1st Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 Patient outreach:...
|
By John Cornelison on
10/20/2016 3:41 PM
VashonBePrepared held its annual meeting yesterday at the Vashon Emergency Operations Center.
A simple affair this year, many of our partner organizations reviewed the last year’s activities and plans for the year and the coming year. See our list of accomplishments which soon should reflect some of these activities.
A key item ahead is to hopefully upgrade the VIFR Training Center, and merge our EOC into this larger location.
VashonBePrepared’s board then voted in a new set of bylaws, which cleaned up some antiquated language, but primarily enlarged the number of our partner organizations – many of whom have been participating informally for years:
New VashonBePrepared Partners
Vashon Island School District (VISD)
Medical Reserve Corp (MRC)
Voice of Vashon (VoV)
Vashon Chamber of Commerce
ACS (replaces Vashon Maury Island Radio Club) ...
|
By John Cornelison on
10/14/2016 8:25 AM
Most homes on Vashon are well built against the seasonal rains and water we face. Still, if a drain clogs, or the incoming rain is heavier than the system can take you may still wind up with a flooded basement or other area of your home. FEMA has a number of guidelines borne of experience for how homeowners can handle floods. Although focused on floods from Hurricane Mathew out east, many of the same guidelines apply to floods that may occur on Vashon. Check out FEMA’s flood clean-up guidelines here.
|
By John Cornelison on
10/14/2016 8:13 AM
As a glance outside will show, we’re currently experiencing a strong storm. Actually there are two storms, one a day away from the other. Check local weather reports (e.g., NOAA or Weather Underground) for the latest reports as the predictions are changing fairly quickly. In addition to the checklist on our website, here are some other points that may be helpful in your winter storm season preparations: Water - If possible,...
|
By John Cornelison on
9/27/2016 12:13 PM
|
By John Cornelison on
9/27/2016 11:50 AM
Seattle Colleges has generously offered to host an Incident Command System 100/200/700 Combination Course at no charge. The course will be held Thu, October 13, 2016 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM at South Seattle College, 6000 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA. If you are interested in participating in any of the VashonBePrepared groups, this is an excellent way to get up to speed on the terminology and concepts used on Vashon – and throughout the United States. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/incident-command-system-100200700-combo-course-tickets-27103829283
|
By John Cornelison on
9/27/2016 11:37 AM
In an effort to prepare Seattle communities for ‘The Big One’ and other disasters Seattle may face, Mayor Murray has proclaimed October 2016 as Emergency Preparedness Month. Please join the Office...
|
By John Cornelison on
6/11/2016 6:53 AM
Thanks to All Who Participated
What a team! How is it possible that so many people can work together for four days and achieve so much?
The answer: It's what Vashon is all about, isn't it? Neighbors helping neighbors.
Many thanks to everyone who came to "play" in Vashon's Cascadia Rising earthquake exercise.
We had many new faces and our mailing list ( http://goo.gl/qk7zTf)...
|
By John Cornelison on
5/21/2016 10:27 AM
Download a PDF version of this brochure (with better layout!) by clicking here.
Vashon Island Fire & Rescue Welcomes National Guard
A Note from Fire Chief Hank Lipe
Nobody could ever truly be ready for an earthquake as bad as the Cascadia scenario. It will overwhelm even the best efforts of our small fire district and the many organizations and volunteers in the VashonBePrepared coalition.
But Islanders are resilient and I know we will all work together as neighbors to take care of each other as best we can until mainland help arrives. Still, a community’s response to a large scale disaster is only as good as its planning and training. That’s...
|
By John Cornelison on
5/4/2016 5:09 PM
King County is investing in a new regional public emergency alert and notification system which features a public alert service - ALERT King County - to keep residents informed about significant events or emergency situations.
ALERT King County replaces RPIN (Regional Public Information & Notification) and uses the capable CodeRED software to drive the system.
The new software offers enhanced features that allow officials to more precisely target...
|
By John Cornelison on
9/8/2015 3:42 PM
Stay informed when you are roaming the urban lands: Consider subscribing to AlertSeattle – the City’s new, real-time emergency alert and notification system.
When emergencies happen, be the first to know. AlertSeattle is your link to real-time, official notifications from the City of Seattle.
AlertSeattle is a free service that allows you to sign up online to receive customized alerts via text message, email, voice message, and on social media (Facebook and Twitter). This service is provided by the City of Seattle at no cost; however, message and data rates may apply.
In addition to emergency alerts, you can also choose to receive customizable community notifications. These will include notifications about severe weather,...
|
By John Cornelison on
6/2/2015 7:49 AM
Last Thursday, FEMA and its partners released the 2015 National Preparedness Report (NPR). The NPR is an annual status report summarizing the Nation's progress toward reaching the 2011 National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation. This report marks the fourth iteration of the NPR. The 2015 NPR places particular emphasis on highlighting preparedness progress in implementing the National Planning Frameworks. The Frameworks describe how the whole...
|
By John Cornelison on
4/29/2015 3:10 PM
A Technician Test Prep class is schedule for May 15th 6PM to 9PM, 16th 10AM to 5PM, 17th 10AM - 3PM. Cost of the class is $30 to cover instructors expense's, the cost of the test and an official ham license. Additionally, students need to purchase a new textbook since the question pool has changed as of July 14th. Here is a link to the ARRL Store but this book is available at other outlets: http://www.arrl.org/shop/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual-3rd-Edition/ To register for class, contact: Sharon Danielson via email: kharazi (at) aol.com
|
By John Cornelison on
3/20/2015 5:10 PM
A year after Oso, Arts WA is hosting a way for poets to memorialize that tragic event. Here’s one great entry:
One March morning the landscape shrugged—
fields dammed the river, hillsides fattened and rolled
—a hungry black bear feasting on every fallen thing.
When there is no one to blame but the rainfall,
no trial, no jury, no jail—our cry for justice is empty.
We have only the hope of no one suffering,
that bodies succumbed the way an infant...
|
By John Cornelison on
3/18/2015 1:17 PM
The...
|
By John Cornelison on
12/5/2014 10:09 AM
Two joint studies are out this week and indicate that the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2013’s predictions of a global sea rise of a bit over 3 feet by the end of the century could be way off.
Apparently warm ocean water is already undermining a vast stretch of West Antarctica ice that could release enough water to raise sea levels by up to 11 feet in the next 100-200 years. 13 million people live within 10 vertical feet of the ocean and Miami, New Orleans, and New York City would be the cities most affected.
Read yesterday’s Washington Post’s article...
|
By John Cornelison on
12/4/2014 6:41 PM
Personal weather stations (PWS) supplement public weather stations, such as those at airports. Given the right equipment, citizens with a PWS can share their weather data with a number of services who will aggregate the data and help collectively provide better weather forecasts for the region.
Owners also get more...
|
By John Cornelison on
12/1/2014 9:32 AM
According to the LA Times, the entire west coast should get access to the first generation of early earthquake warnings as early as next year. Dependent on congress’ upcoming vote, the budget would be some $16 million annually. The new system would be the first generation, after a bare-bones prototype system has proven the concept over the last year or so in a limited set of locations. California would go from 200 to 400 sensors while 275 sensors are apparently all that are currently planned for Oregon and Washington. Specialized systems have been in place for years. For instance the Alaskan Way Viaduct automatically is closed...
|
By John Cornelison on
11/13/2014 5:15 PM
Seattle to host Nov. 18th Twitter event to take questions about landslides
Did you know that most landslides occur between the months of October and April? And that 86 percent of landslides are caused to some extent by human activity? Landslide season is upon us and the City of Seattle is urging residents to take preventive measures to protect themselves and their property from possible landslides.
Heavy rains are likely this year for the Pacific Northwest. As the rainfall continues to increase throughout...
|
By John Cornelison on
11/10/2014 8:40 PM
The American Red Cross has released a slew of apps for the Android and Apple marketplace. One of their latest - Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies - is oriented at 7-11 year olds...
|
By John Cornelison on
11/10/2014 1:12 PM
Most folks believe the National Weather Service just reports on the weather – but I remain skeptical. I actually think they know how to control it – when it fits their key goals. As conclusive proof, realize that the NWS proclaimed this week as “Winter Weather Awareness Week”. As a direct result – not coincidentally as many naively assume – the nation is going to be plunged...
|
By John Cornelison on
11/5/2014 9:48 AM
The Vashon Beachcomber, publisher of last winter’s “Vashon Winter Ready 2013 Handbook” has kindly allowed VashonBePrepared to make the handbook available online. As we gear up for our annual winter storm season, you can review this great overview of winter preparedness on our Severe Storm page. Kudos also to VIFR, Voice of Vashon, Puget Sound Energy, and VashonBePrepared for their contributions to the handbook. ...
|
By John Cornelison on
11/4/2014 9:55 PM
Over 25 ham radio operators showed up for the local amateur radio club’s bimonthly meeting tonight at Vashon’s Emergency Operations Center.
John Galus, past president of the club demonstrated the newly upgraded Local Area Communication Caches (LACCs) for the Dockton and Burton radio stations. (The north end and Tahlequah and 5th Station 55 caches have yet to receive the latest updates, but received upgrades in the form of hand-me-downs from the other caches.) ...
|
By John Cornelison on
10/29/2014 11:31 AM
|
By John Cornelison on
10/22/2014 6:22 AM
VashonBePrepared Convenes Community Meeting on Landslide Risk VashonBePrepared invites the entire community to learn more about landslide risks on Vashon, a risk that ranks in the top three for the Island, right up there along with earthquake and severe weather. The informational meeting, which will include a question and answer session, will take place on Wednesday, October 29th,...
|
By John Cornelison on
9/22/2014 7:27 AM
At least our knowledge of the Seattle Fault’s extent grew. This is according to USGS researcher Craig Weaver, as quoted in today’s Seattle Times article. Apparently the quake occurred at the intersection of the Seattle Fault and another fault on the Olympic Peninsula. The article also references a 1995 quake near Vashon with magnitude 5 – which also turned out to be along the Seattle Fault. The picture to the right (from the USGS)...
|
By John Cornelison on
8/27/2014 1:13 PM
According to UW’s John Vidale, as reported by KING-TV and The Seattle Times, getting an early warning system in place for WA would cost some $17 million annually. We’ve a rudimentary system, but that’s seemingly not ready for prime time. It apparently is a priority for California’s legislators, but not (quite yet) ours. Maybe that will change! More about California’s system – which gave a 10-second notice to the recent Napa quake is available at CBS.
|
By John Cornelison on
8/27/2014 12:10 PM
|
By John Cornelison on
8/27/2014 12:04 PM
|
By John Cornelison on
8/27/2014 11:57 AM
The recent August 24, 2014 earthquake outside of Napa, California again demonstrated the seismic risk posed by a building’s nonstructural components. In general, the components of a building’s structural system that support the building and keep it standing—the frame, walls, and roof—performed very well in the Napa Valley earthquake. However, the nonstructural components of a building—the cladding, interior...
|
By John Cornelison on
7/25/2014 8:37 AM
Voice of Vashon has started construction on Vashon’s new radio station KVSH, building as funds come in. And Islanders donated over $3,000 at Strawberry Festival so their fundraising campaign is at 93% of the $50,000 goal. It'll take a couple more months of work to put KVSH-FM on the air but last week the all volunteer team erected the mast and antenna up top of the giant water tank just south of town. See for yourself in this video! ...
|
By John Cornelison on
7/25/2014 8:31 AM
This map shows, in purple and pink, the west-east line of magnetotelluric sensors that were placed north of Washington state’s Mount Rainier to study the volcanic plumbing system under the volcano. The sensors detect how the ground resists or conducts natural electricity within the Earth. Shown in yellow are seismic sensors that detect how fast or slow sound or seismic waves travel underground. Both methods were used in a new study that provides the most detailed look yet at the subterranean plumbing system that supplies the active volcano. Photo Credit: R Shane McGary, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution July 17, 2014 – By measuring how fast Earth conducts electricity and seismic waves, a University of Utah researcher and colleagues made...
|
By John Cornelison on
7/24/2014 8:03 AM
From http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/new-insight-on-the-nations-earthquake-hazards/ “Important changes in Washington are related to the addition of the Tacoma fault and changes to the South Whidbey Island fault. The Seattle region hazard has not changed significantly because we use a very similar model for the Seattle fault as was applied in 2008. We have not modified this fault using the geodetic model.” from the USGS report, Pg. 192 By: Jessica Robertson (jrobertson@usgs.gov) and Mark Petersen (mpetersen@usgs.gov) ...
|