John's Vashon Preparedness Blog

All of John Cornelison's blogs are listed on this page chronologically. Use the Calendar or Search functions in the right column to search through time, via keyword, or look at the parent blog page to view all authors' posts.

John's Recent Blogs

Author: Created: 6/15/2010 5:35 PM RssIcon
Disaster news and links of interest for Vashonites
By John Cornelison on 8/26/2011 4:48 AM


VashonTrueValueIt’s great to note that Vashon True Value’s online store has a special section for Emergency Preparedness! (Hopefully they will soon round this out to include all the items from VashonBePrepared’s disaster checklists.) Other local stores...
By John Cornelison on 8/23/2011 12:27 PM

The region between Richmond and Charlottesville in Virginia received a 5.9 magnitude earthquake at 1:51 p.m. on Tuesday.

Colorado got a 5.3 quake near Trinidad just before Noon. The only larger quakes since 1882 were from human activity: explosives or drilling – pumping waste underground that apparently lubricated the fault line!

The USGS reports there was no correlation between the two quakes.

Social media (Twitter) carried many reports on these…

By John Cornelison on 8/13/2011 11:58 AM


2011 Hazus Conference, Seattle, WAThe Associated Press came to this week’s 5th Annual Hazus conference held at the federal building and wrote up a nice piece citing (yet again) that we are not ready for the huge quakes possible from any number of faults, but especially the Seattle and Cascadia faults:

   Of particular worry to government agencies - and emergency planners like Schelling - is the 680-mile long Cascadia fault line, which runs just 50 miles off Washington's shore. Scientists have found that a big 8.0 to 9.0 earthquake has hit that fault line about every 500 years. The last one struck in 1700.    According to a 2005 study that used Hazus data, such a strong earthquake would level parts of the region, bringing landslides,...
By John Cornelison on 8/7/2011 1:54 PM


In case you are following the debate on auctioning off the “D” block – dearly desired by public safety officials for helping solve the interoperability issues so notable during the 9/11 attacks – check out this latest story by the National Journal which reports the legislation is definitely in play with the latest budget battles. (VashonBePrepared has not taken a stand on this issue, but knows many of you are tracking this issue!)

...
By John Cornelison on 7/14/2011 3:10 PM


 

Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference 2012 April 10-11, 2012 Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, Tacoma, WA

 

Call for Presentations - Deadline - September 15, 2011

Complete the application online at www.piepc.org

Researchers, scholars, and practitioners in emergency management are invited to participate in the Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference to be held at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center in Tacoma, WA on April 10-11, 2012.

Partners in Emergency Preparedness has conducted a very successful regional conference each spring for over 15 years. The Conference has grown into the largest...
By John Cornelison on 7/9/2011 9:54 PM


imageOregon and Washington are likely to have a very serious earthquake in future decades, according to a disturbing article in the Oregonian.

“Within the next 50 years… Washington and northern Oregon face a 10 to 15 percent probability of an offshore quake powerful enough to kill thousands and launch a tsunami that would level coastal cities. … the Northwest is dangerously unprepared...
By John Cornelison on 7/8/2011 8:42 PM


Hazard Mitigation Grant ProgramsFEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs provide funding for eligible mitigation activities that reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disaster damages. Currently, FEMA administers the following HMA grant programs:

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)

Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM)

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)

Repetitive Flood Claims (RFC)

...
By John Cornelison on 7/8/2011 7:23 PM


President Obama and FEMA Administrator Fugate at White HouseThe key Washington insider’s news organization has a new positive interview with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. It sounds like he wants to involve the community, and actually go beyond the...
By John Cornelison on 7/8/2011 9:49 AM


An oil spill off Vashon was one of the first incidents where a team of Vashon CERTs and Public Information volunteers deployed, back on October 14, 2004. As an island with precious habitat and adjoining shipping channels, Vashon residents need to think not only of land based but water based incidents too.

Responses to a water based incident, such as an oil or hazardous materials spill, are based on the annually updated Northwest Area Contingency Plan (NWACP). The Northwest Area Committee (NWAC) and Regional Response Team 10 (RRT10) are currently completing updates to the NWACP for the 2011 version.

Here is...
By John Cornelison on 7/5/2011 11:40 AM


ReadyBusiness_LogoSeptember is National Preparedness Month (NPM)! This awareness month is sponsored by the Ready Campaign in partnership with Citizen Corps. NPM is held each September and is designed to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and communities

September 2011 is the eighth annual NPM and this year’s slogan is: “This September: A Time to Remember. A Time...
By John Cornelison on 7/5/2011 9:25 AM


Registration is open during July ONLY for the upcoming NW Citizen Corps Expo, to be held from 7:30 AM to 5 PM on August 20th at the Washington State Fire Training Academy (east of North Bend on I-90).

Begun in 2003 as the CERT Expo, the scope was broadened in 2008 to be a Citizen Corps Expo. The intended audience is trained and registered CERT volunteers, MRC medical professionals, and ham radio operators. The cost is $30, and includes a full-day of training and exercise, light breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages. The NW Citizen Corps Expo 2011 is operating under Mission Number 11-T-336, which provides liability coverage to locally registered Emergency Workers.

Learn more about the Citizen Corps at www.CitizenCorps.gov

Agenda

The...
By John Cornelison on 6/29/2011 3:16 PM


US_CERT_Presence.110629In this issue of the 12 page CERT National Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 4, you will read about the creative and diverse ways CERT members serve their communities when they aren’t activated for emergency situations.

Also featured in this issue is an article on the Pasadena Community College CERT’s full-scale ShakeOut exercise, and the Denver CERT program’s success in building community partnerships....
By John Cornelison on 6/29/2011 9:38 AM


imageThe King County Healthcare Coalition is a network of healthcare organizations and providers working together to strengthen emergency preparedness and response. A voluntary organization administered by Public Health – Seattle & King County, the Coalition is open to all organizations and individuals that provide or support health care services in King County.

The Seattle...
By John Cornelison on 6/27/2011 10:53 AM


Field Day 2011 - June 25-26!36 amateur radio operators and elected officials attended Vashon-Maury Island Radio Club’s 2011 Field Day Saturday and Sunday.

The formal objective for Field Day is:

To work as many stations as possible on any and all amateur bands (excluding the 60, 30, 17, and 12-meter bands) and to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions. Field Day is open to all amateurs in the areas covered by the ARRL/RAC Field Organizations and countries within IARU Region 2. DX stations residing in other regions may be contacted for credit, but are not eligible to submit entries.

...
By John Cornelison on 6/27/2011 10:50 AM


John Galus will give an Introduction to Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) to VIFR firefighters and EMTs at VIFR Fire Station 55 at 7 PM(?) on July 5th.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.

For details on the Western Washington Section see: www.arrl.org/Groups/view/western-washington or wwa.arrl.org. Washington State ARES info is at: www.wastateares.org

...
By John Cornelison on 6/24/2011 5:56 AM


6-24-2011 at 6.47.55 AMIf you’ve not come across them, Paul Nichols has created several time lapse earthquake maps. Working at the University of Canterbury's Digital Media Group, he takes USGS or GeoNet data and plots it using the Google Maps API to create a fascinating animation.

The main message is that “the” quake is actually a “quake swarm” - with a few prominent releases that really stand out amongst a background of thousands of smaller...
By John Cornelison on 6/22/2011 1:14 PM


cdc_logoThe CDC has a slew of professional, tested and vetted PSAs that could come in handy on Vashon after a disaster.

They have both disaster specific PSAs:

Earthquakes Extreme Heat Floods Hurricanes Wildfires Winter Weather As well as generic messages for:

Mobile Devices, Staying Safe After a Storm, Food and Water, Prescription Drugs, Cleanup, and Coping As well as Disaster Information for Specific...
By John Cornelison on 6/14/2011 5:59 PM


wa_rcw_wacMany answers to questions you may (or may not!) have had are to be found in the following section of law:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=38.52

The current list:

38.52.005 State military department to administer emergency management program -- Local...
By John Cornelison on 6/14/2011 4:41 PM


The Seattle Times posted a special section on June 10th with useful tips for those with (or concerned about) a landslide. My neighbor who had a very expensive landslide late last year just pointed this useful information out to me. Read the full report at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2015278322_realslidersbar12.html Where to get more information on landslides Chris Winters

Special to The Seattle Times

GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

A crack in the earth in March made the foundation slip at this home on Burl Place in South Everett. It was declared unsafe and the owners moved out.

...
By John Cornelison on 6/14/2011 6:42 AM


“The United States is the most severe weather-prone country on Earth according to the National Weather Service. Hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and other natural disasters can strike without warning and force you to evacuate your home or cause disruptions in mail service.”

I’ve not found confirmation for this, but this quote comes from a FEMA press release this morning urging electronic deposits for federal benefits (over checks that cost more money, get lost or stolen), so I presume it is accurate.

...
By John Cornelison on 6/12/2011 10:06 AM


There is critical legislation regarding public safety organizations’ ability to communicate – without paying telecommunication companies huge fees (subsidies?!). A reprint on one side of this issue follows. (Note that VashonBePrepared has not taken a stance on this or any other legislative to date. We may in the future – our 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status only prevents us from spending a “substantial” portion of our budget for influencing legislation.)

The Politics of the D-Block: Now is the Time to Communicate with Your Members of Congress

Bill Webb has served as Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) since 1995. Established in 1989, CFSI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy institute designed to enhance Congressional awareness about the concerns and needs of the fire and emergency services. In his capacity, Bill works closely with members of Congress and fire service leaders on developing federal legislation to improve the readiness of our nation's fire and emergency services. William M. Webb, Executive Director, Congressional Fire Services Institute...
By John Cornelison on 6/10/2011 9:59 AM


NEHRP Impact on the Built Environment - FEMA P749There are many federal entities that sponsor research, but a very few like the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) which provides a critical link between important research findings and practical application. For us in Washington—the second highest...
By John Cornelison on 6/10/2011 9:01 AM


Figure 2 Major tectonic plates (courtesy of USGS). For a more complete explanation of plate tectonics, see http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/dynamic.pdfThe Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is pleased to announce that Earthquake-Resistant Design Concepts:...
By John Cornelison on 6/9/2011 7:30 AM


Recent Mississippi Damage - from www.msema.orgI heard that “our” very own Don Price recently served as the head of ESF-6 for FEMA’s recovery efforts in Mississippi! He and other locals who have been serving afield will present their debrief on Tuesday, June 21st, from 1 – 3 PM. The location is the King County Office of Emergency Management Room 114 – Main Coordination Center.

There have been ground breaking developments in Children’s issues, FNSS, ADA, ESF 6 multi-agency coordination and more. Lessons learned, best practices and how to apply them to our local operations will all be discussed.

Speakers:

Don Price, Emergency Management Program Manager, King County...
By John Cornelison on 6/9/2011 6:38 AM




Yet another post on the value of cash – versus unsolicited donations of (often inappropriate) goods and supplies comes from the UPS Foundation’s Humanitarian Relief Program Manager. Just back from the annual meeting of NVOAD, held in Kansas City – hours from Joplin, he had the following take-homes:

Donate Money If Donating Goods, Verify Items Will be Accepted and Used For Volunteers, Take Advantage of Disaster Assistance Training He recommends helpful web tools: Aidmatrix Network and HandsOnNetwork.org....
By John Cornelison on 6/8/2011 10:16 AM


securing_water_heater

Are your bookcases secured - or your water heater? There are often personal tasks that we all need to accomplish - but need a bit of advice or to see the basics before tackling these projects. The following were designed for exactly this purpose!

For our media outreach efforts, and for individual preparedness, please be aware of the following videos produced for Washington residents.  These videos were produced in partnership with Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management and the Washington State Emergency Management Division. Funding for the project was made possible through grants from Governor Christine Gregoire, Washington State Citizen Corps and a donation from Puget Sound Energy. 

...
By John Cornelison on 6/7/2011 2:00 PM


imageSeattle, Washington, June 1, 2011 – On Friday, March 11, 2011 at 2:46 PM (local time), the northeast coast of Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 (M9.0) subduction earthquake as the boundary between the Pacific and the North American plates ruptured along an offshore section. The rupture extended about 200 miles along the Japan coast, resulting in approximately 100 feet of vertical slip and causing a series of devastating tsunamis. A similar event along the Cascadia...
By John Cornelison on 6/7/2011 12:31 PM


CERT Training materialsLearn about the activities of CERTs across the country in the CERT in Action! stories just posted at the national CERT website:

Bay, Texas CERT Partners with Red Cross, Community, to Respond to Apartment Fire...
By John Cornelison on 6/7/2011 12:03 PM


hazus-logoMark your calendars!  The Annual Hazus Conference will be held in Seattle, Washington, August 10 – 12, 2011, at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building. 

HAZUS-MH is software developed by FEMA that analyzes risk from natural hazards in communities. To register for this FREE conference, please visit www.hazus.net. From their site:

HAZUS-MH is a powerful risk assessment methodology used to analyze potential losses from natural hazards including floods, hurricane winds and earthquakes. HAZUS uses state-of-the-art Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software combined with science, engineering and mathematical modeling to map and display hazard data and the results of damage and economic loss estimates for buildings and infrastructure. ...
By John Cornelison on 6/7/2011 11:52 AM


Camp Burton GroundsAs initially announced at VashonBePrepared’s Annual Meeting, King County Office of Emergency Management is making arrangements with Camp Burton...

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Recent Comments

Re: What to do if you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or are worried that you may have COVID-19
No on ventilators. They require a paramedic to insert the tubes and at that point should be off island in a proper care facility. Low flow oxygen is easily available, but those needing it only for COVID should also be in a proper care facility.
Re: What to do if you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or are worried that you may have COVID-19
The large national company, Lab Corp, announced that they can do testing as of last Friday. I believe they are used by both clinics on the island. Local clinicians just do a nasal swab as I understand it and then send those in for testing. The test kits reside at the laboratory.

In addition other test facilities exist, but are unlikely to be used directly by island providers. Contact their websites and offices before you go in with any respiratory issues. Their information is likely to change frequently until more is known about the virus.

I don't know about ventilators, but will ask. Thanks for your comment!
Re: What to do if you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or are worried that you may have COVID-19
Will Vashon be getting testing kits soon in the hands of all doctors and first responders on island? Can the Gates Foundation help in this regard? Can we get the Neighborcare Clinic better prepared in this regard?

How many ventilators are on island? This is where critical shortages seem imminent.

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