Emergency Preparedness in Island County Getting Ready It is important to stay informed before, during, and after emergencies and disasters. Island County utilizes several methods to relay vital information to the community. This could be alerts and warning or helpful information related to safety and resources. Staying Informed Before and After Disasters Radio Stations: For a major event, Island County DEM will send alerts through the Emergency Alert System. This message goes to all of the media outlets throughout the region as well as the National Weather Service. The geographic locations are determined by Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) codes. At a minimum, I will typically send it to all counties in the Central and Northern Puget Sound region. The radio and television stations will then immediately broadcast the alert across their respective outlets. It will also broadcast on NOAA Weather radios. There are two radio stations licensed to Oak Harbor, WA. • AM KRPA 1110 – Asian format • FM KMCR 103.3 – Country format I want to reiterate though that these are not the only stations that broadcast our emergency alerts. The alerts go to all stations in the region. Television Stations: As with the Radio Stations, Island County DEM Emergency Alerts are sent to the regions television stations as well. Like the radio stations, broadcast engineers are required to listen for EAS Alerts based on the FIPS codes entered. When the alerts go to the Central Puget Sound Region it includes: • Comcast • Click We also utilize the public access channels to provide additional information to the community. NOAA Weather Radio: (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/) Every home should have a NOAA weather radio. It is the surest way to receive all-hazards alerts and warnings as well as the latest local forecasts. Ensure that your radio has a Specific Area Message Encoder (SAME) receiver. This allows you to set your radio to receive specific watches and warnings for your area without being bother by those not relevant to you. Island County is located within the Puget Sound transmitter area. The call sign is WWG-24 and the frequency is 162.425 MHz. (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/coverage/site2.php?State=WA&Site=WWG24 ). Public Sign-up for Emergency Alert - AlertSense: Island County is able to send you emergency alerts via text message, email, pager, or voice mail (in extreme cases), based on your preferences. It is important that we collect this contact information because many households no longer utilize traditional land-based telephone lines. The system is intended to be used for emergency alerts, as well as non- emergency incidents that may have significant impacts to residents. Emergency Alerts could be related to specific hazards that require some kind of action be taken such as evacuation, shelter in place, boil water orders, etc. Non- emergency alerts could include significant transportation problems with prolonged impacts or significant ongoing police or fire activity. This list is not meant to be all inclusive, and demonstrates that this system will not be used for routine information. In addition to receiving information on your wireless device, you may also receive notification on your land telephone line (if you have one) depending on the type of incident or event. You can sign up by following the following link: http://public.alertsense.com/SignUp/?regionid=1137 AlertSense also recently came out with a mobile app that provides a more convenient way to receive alerts. It is available for both Apple iPhone and Android phones. • Apple iPhone: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alertsense-my- alerts/id1102847004 • Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.AlertSense.PublicApp Social Media: We often “tweet “information. We try and limit it to important information but experts in the Public Information field tell me that you need post frequently to keep followers so the pace may pick up. Our account/handle is: @IC_DEM Island County DEM website: www.islandcountywa.gov/dem Information on the website is constantly being updated. It is loaded with information related to: • Local Hazards • Emergency Preparedness • News and Alerts • Hazard Mitigation • Assistance • Training • ….and more Coming Soon, Island County Preparedness Phone App: We are currently developing a mobile phone app that will provide valuable tools for Island County Citizens to prepare for emergencies and disasters. Some of the features include: • Share your status with your selected contacts with the push of a button. • Receive critical emergency alerts via push notification. • Locate Island County’s emergency shelters. • Display up-to-date evacuation route maps. • Get the latest news and weather for the Island County area. • Report Damage or Hazards • Create a personalized Emergency Preparedness Plan by answering five basic questions. Once Your Plan is generated, it is stored on your smartphone and can easily be shared with family members and friends. Your Plan comprises: • An Emergency Supply Kit Checklist tailored to your needs. • A Customized Emergency Food Supply Shopping List. • An Emergency Communications Plan to notify your loved ones of your status • Critical information to prepare your home for impending disaster. Learn about the various emergency situations that Island County, Washington residents are most likely to face in five integrated eGuides: • Emergency Preparedness for People with Functional Needs • Emergency Preparedness for Pet Owners • Emergency Preparedness for Children • Earthquakes • Winter Storms Weather Information National Weather Service • Forecasts: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?site=SEW&textField1=47.6 218&textField2=-122.35&e=1#.WJK3ImozUqM • Mobile Weather: http://mobile.weather.gov/index.php?lat=48.21454939214186&lon=- 122.68607882857441 • Loading Weather.gov on your mobile device: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/mobilephone.htm l Communication Hubs If power is out throughout the county and cell towers are damaged, we will need utilize other means to keep the community informed. We will be utilizing information boards throughout the county as well as posting information at public buildings. We are also working on establishing official Communication Hubs around the county. These will be places where residents can go to receive important information related to situational awareness, assistance, and recovery. It can also be a means for DEM to collect information related to damage assessments. It will be a direct link to and from DEM. Trained volunteers will be manning these positions. The details are still being developed but so far the public libraries have been identified as suitable locations. Neighborhoods can also establish their own community Communication Hubs. These are simply a place for neighbors to gather and share information with each other. It can be as simple as a table, a bulletin board, and a NOAA weather radio. Amateur radios can add even more capability to these hubs. Important Numbers: Emergency/Response Agencies: Island County Department of Emergency Management: • 24 Hr. Emergency: 911 • Non-Emergency/Business: (360) 240-5572 • Email: [email protected] • Website: www.islandcountywa.gov/dem Emergencies: 9-1-1 Call Before You Dig: 8-1-1 Travel and Road Information: 5-1-1 Human Services (Basic Human Needs): 2-1-1 Telephone Directory Assistance: 4-1-1 Police • Emergency: 911 • Seven Digit Emergency/Non-Emergency o North Whidbey: 678-6116 o South Whidbey: 321-4400 o Camano Island: 629-2224 • Island County Sheriff Administrative o Camano Office: (360) 629-4523 x 7310 o North Whidbey: (360) 678-4422 o South Whidbey: (360) 321-5113 x 7310 • Oak Harbor Police Department Administrative: (360) 279-4600 • Coupeville Marshal Administrative: (360) 678-4461 x 1 • Langley Police Department Administrative: (360) 221-4433 Fire • Emergency: 911 • Seven Digit Emergency/Non-Emergency o North Whidbey: 678-6116 o South Whidbey: 321-4400 o Camano Island: 629-2224 • Camano Island Fire and Rescue Administrative: (360) 387-1512 • North Whidbey Fire and Rescue Administrative: (360) 675-1131 • Oak Harbor Fire Department Administrative: (360) 279-4700 • Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue Administrative: (360) 678-3602 • South Whidbey Fire and EMS Administrative: (360) 321-1533 o Whidbey Health • Phone: (360) 678-5151 • Medical Center: (360) 321-5151 • Website: https://whidbeyhealth.org/ Poison Control • Phone (24 hr.): (800) 222-1222 • Website: http://www.wapc.org/ Utilities: Electricity • Puget Sound Energy (Whidbey Island) o Phone: (360) 331-3060 o Website: http://pse.com/ o Outage Map: http://pse.com/accountsandservices/ServiceAlert/Pages/Outage- Map.aspx • Snohomish Public Utilities (Camano Island) o Phone: (360) 629-5700 o Website: http://www.snopud.com/ Natural Gas • Cascade Natural Gas o Phone: (888) 522-1130 (24 hr.) o Website: https://www.cngc.com/safety-education/emergency- information Propane • Amerigas Propane (Oak Harbor and Freeland o Phone: (360) 675-5939 (Oak Harbor) o Phone: (360) 331-6707 (Freeland) o Website: http://www.amerigas.com/propane-locations/amerigas- propane/wa/oak-harbor • Corey Oil & Propane (Oak Harbor and Freeland) o Phone: (360) 675-5445 (Oak Harbor) o Phone: (360) 321-6699 (Freeland) o Website: http://coreyoilandpropane.multiscreensite.com/ • Skagit Farmers Supply o Phone: (360) 757-6053 o Phone: (888) 757-6053 o Email: [email protected] o Website: http://www.skagitfarmers.com/propane.htm • Northwest Propane o Phone: (360) 424-4471 o Website: http://nwpropane.net Emergency Supplies and Resources: Building Supplies: • The Home Depot • Country Store – Freeland 31800 SR 20 5463 Cameron Rd. Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Freeland, WA 98249 Ph.# (360) 675-0105 Ph.# (360) 331-1970 • Ace Hardware – Oak Harbor • Hanson’s Building Supply - 150 SE Pioneer Way Langley Oak Harbor, WA 98277 2863 Verlane St. Ph.# (360) 679-3533 Langley, WA 98260 Ph. # (360) 321-3200 • Country Store – Oak Harbor 31686 SR 20 • Jim’s Hardware Oak Harbor, WA 98277 11042 SR 525 Ph.# (360) 675-2277 Clinton, WA 98236 Ph.# (360) 341-6044 • Tractor Supply Co. 32165 SR 20 Unit 1 • Sebo’s Do-it Center Oak Harbor, WA 98277 5809 S.