How to get prepared
I’m not scared, I’m prepared!
As individuals, households and neighborhoods, we play a vital role in our community’s journey to become well prepared for disasters of all kinds: earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis, pandemics, major winter storms, supply chain disruptions, and more.
Look for new topics here in the coming weeks.
We invite you to add helpful comments and pose questions to our community on these pages.
How to get prepared: Strength in neighborhoods
One of the best things you can do to get ready for emergencies is to link up with your neighborhood.
How to get prepared: Provisioning water
After a disaster hits, having safe water for drinking, cleaning and cooking will be a priority.
How to get prepared: Provisioning food
We offer some suggestions for stocking and storing food to have available when the grocery shelves are empty.
How to get prepared: Non-radio communications
Preparing for two-way communications when the phone lines and towers may be down is essential to knowing how to proceed in any disaster.
How to get prepared: Radio communications
Radios of various types can be a useful tool to help coordinate a neighborhood’s response to a disaster.
How to get prepared: Energy and transportation
We islanders are all-too-familiar with coping with power outages lasting hours or even days. But are you ready for a months-long outage?
How to get prepared: Go bag
Having a bag with everything you’ll need for a few days ready by your door can allow you to leave home quickly and still meet the needs of your household.
When disaster strikes, our first responders will be overwhelmed and focused on taking care of the community’s core infrastructure. Additional help from outside the area may not arrive for weeks due to the likely damage to our ferry docking, bridges and regional transportation systems. So as not to be a burden to others, and to boost our own confidence during a disaster, we want to be well prepared. Personal preparation will also help us help others because we care and we are equipped.
It is our responsibility—not that of the county or the fire department—to be able to take care of ourselves and our neighbors for at least two weeks (or longer) after a widespread natural disaster.
Other tools
Island County Alert Messages
Washington Department of Natural Resources Geologic Hazard Maps
South Whidbey Fire/EMS Get Two-Weeks Ready