King County Executive Dow Constantine’s 2011 Award for Community Preparedness to VashonBePrepared

On September 30th, King County Executive Dow Constantine presented the citizens of Vashon and the organizations that comprise VashonBePrepared with his 2011 Award for Community Preparedness as noted in the King County press release and my comments on the award. The actual text of the award follows:

Recognition

WHEREAS, it is in the interest of all communities within King County to develop the highest level of competence in planning for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and disasters; and

WHEREAS, the people of Vashon and Maury Islands created VashonBePrepared, a coalition of disaster preparedness organizations to educate citizens to be as self-reliant as possible  through advanced emergency planning and preparation; and

WHEREAS, VashonBePrepared has helped develop and maintain disaster plans and procedures that are a model for communities throughout the county and the region; and

WHEREAS, VashonBePrepared has recruited, organized, and trained hundreds of volunteers to assist fellow Islanders during times of need and to staff Vashon’s Emergency Operations Center, shelters, command posts, clinics and other facilities as called upon by Vashon Island Fire & Rescue; and

WHEREAS, these efforts have been put to the test during several emergencies including winter storms, oil spills, and severed fiber-optic cables—requiring intensive collaboration to open shelters, communicate with islanders, and provide situational awareness from local residents on up to County, State and Federal officials.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dow Constantine, Executive of King County, do hereby recognize VashonBePrepared, its partner organizations and all the people of Vashon and Maury Islands for their superb performance in preparing for and responding to emergencies, by naming them as an honored recipient of:

The 2011 Executive’s Award for Community Preparedness

I encourage all residents to follow the example set by this community partnership.

(signed & sealed)

Dow Constantine
King County Executive