Batton Down The Hatches

So while we have watched other states around the country dealing with their own weather issues we have one bearing down on us.

The head of the Marysville Department of Emergency Management sent us this the other day but we lost internet.

I have also added a lot of helpful link from their site. No matter what just please be careful and if you live in a slide prone area it may just be a good idea to evacuate for a while until the Snohomish County Dept of Emergency Management and Army Corps of Engineers can assess the situation.

The good news is that we finally have qualified accredited people running our emergency depts so hopefully we will never see the loss of life that we have under the last administration.

Increasing confidence that a very strong storm system could bring stronger winds and rainfall to the Western Washington region.

• Rain:  Amounts comparable to today’s system – in addition to Storm #1 rainfall
• Wind:  Very strong winds . . . possibly stronger than Storm #1
• Rivers:  Additional rises on area rivers

Impacts

• Possible power outages and tree damage
• Expect rises on area rivers and possible flooding.  Potential for urban flooding and small stream impacts
• Increasing landslide risk Sunday

Diana Rose Risk/Emergency Management Officer

City of Marysville (360) 363-8096

Read the full National Weather Service forecast and special weather statements

Report a power or gas outage

Contact Snohomish County PUD at 425-783-1001 or toll free 1-877-783-1001 to report a power outage

Contact Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773 to report a service outage

Preparedness

Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or keep you in your home. What would you do if basic services, such as water, gas, electricity, or telephones were cut off? You and your family should be prepared to take care of yourselves for 3 days or more following a major disaster. The Puget Sound area is susceptible to wind and winter storms, chemical spills, floods, fires, earthquakes, mud slides, train derailment, tsunamis and terrorism.

Preparing for an emergency doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Be informed, make a plan, build a kit and get involved. Here is a list of resources that can help make getting prepared a little easier.

Individual and family preparedness resources

• Ready.gov
• Ready.com – for kids and educators
• What to do to make it through
• Do 1 Thing – Preparedness one month at a time
• Who depends on you? – Tips on preparing for a disaster
• Family Disaster Supply Kit
• Family Disaster Plan
• Vehicle Preparedness (PDF)
• 72 Hour Kit (PDF)
• Personal and family preparedness – Washington State Emergency Management Division
• Take Winter By Storm – For families
• Pet and livestock preparedness

Business and community resources

• Ready.gov – preparedness planning for businesses
• Take Winter By Storm
• Emergency Preparedness for Businesses – U.S. Small Business Administration
• Prepare your workplace – American Red Cross
• Prepare My Business for an Emergency – U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Snohomish County Dept of Emergency Management also has a great list of resources as well

Public Alert Resources

Snohomish County Alerts

Snohomish County is a wonderful place to live, but there are risks that come with our mountains, trees and rivers. Mountains can have severe weather, hills can slide, trees can catch fire and rivers can flood.
The best way to stay safe is to get notified about potential danger as early as possible. You can make that happen for yourself, your family, your friends and your neighbors. There are two ways to prepare. Both of them are easy and free.

Alert Sense

Sign up for AlertSense, the states early warning system and notification system. You can choose what activities you want to be alerted about. You can have your alerts go to your text messages, voice messages or email – or all of the above. Your zip code and address is used to tailor alerts for where you live. You can add more alerts or update your contact methods at any time.

Smart911

If you use a cell phone (and even if you don’t), you will want to sign up for Smart911. You can store critical information for use by emergency responder’s. Please list your emergency contacts, home address and any medical conditions to assist the first responder’s.
These services are national organizations, not run by the County, but they do coordinate closely with Snohomish County 911 dispatch and with the county’s emergency management team.

Other Alerts

Snohomish County Road Closure – Updated every 15 minutes

Washington State Department of Transportation – Includes Traffic Cameras
Snohomish County Flood Information Website
Snohomish County Flood Warnings

National Weather Service

1. Personal Preparedness

   Access information to help prepare yourself for emergencies.

2. Map Your Neighborhood

   Snohomish County’s GEAR-UP initiative is a pilot program that will help you answer these questions and make sure you can ‘Get Emergency Action Ready’ or GEAR-UP in the event of a natural disaster. GEAR-UP uses Washington state’s Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) program, which recognizes that during an emergency, “your most immediate source of help are the neighbors living around you.”

3. Disaster Emergency Specific Information

   Read about emergency preparations for events.

4. Kid’s Corner

   Explore information for fun kid’s emergency preparation games and resources.

5. School Preparedness

   Learn how to prepare your school for emergencies.

6. Specific Needs Preparedness

   Read about the different specified needs for emergency preparations.

7. Business Preparedness

   Review business information about staying prepared for emergency situations.

8. Volcano Preparedness

   Glacier Peak is an active Volcano. Are you ready for an eruption?

9. Wildfire Preparedness

   More and more people make their homes in areas that are prone to wildfires. You can take steps to be ready for a wildfire and prepare your home and landscaping to reduce your risk. Learn how to protect yourself and your family from a wildfire, evacuate safely during a wildfire, and how to stay healthy when you return home.