Insights

Is Vashon at Risk for Tsunamis?

• John Cornelison
• 3/21/12

• Tags

  Tacoma , Prediction , Seattle , Vashon , Earthquakes , Tsunami , Study

Most folks think of an overseas or Cascadia based quake as generating a terrible tsunami – and they are right. However such a tsunami is not likely to cause massive damage to Vashon from what I’ve heard – largely due to the moderating influence of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. (It will be interesting to verify this at our upcoming April 18th community meeting with Washington State experts).

Tsunami Evacuation App Released

• John Cornelison
• 3/21/12

• Tags

  Tsunami , Earthquakes , Wa , Wemd , Cascadia , Alerts , Oregon

DHS Preparedness Grant Funding Changes under Criticism

• John Cornelison
• 3/21/12

• Tags

  Grants , Federal , Fema , Funding

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed consolidating their grants program for fiscal year 2013. This was met with criticism in Washington DC Tuesday.  Democrats particularly questioned the proposed consolidation of 16 individual grant programs into the National Preparedness Grant Program (NPGP)  during a hearing of the House Homeland Security emergency preparedness subcommittee. There were calls for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), port grants, transit grants and the State Homeland Security Grant Program to remain separate funds. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter testifying for the US Conference of Mayors said NPGP grants would not guarantee any funding to large urban areas like Philadelphia.

Weather Spotter Training - Apr 26

• John Cornelison
• 3/20/12

• Tags

  Weather , Training , Seattle , Noaa

Ted Buehner, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service has announced a new Weather Spotter Training opportunity for the evening of April 26th. 

Cascadia Quake Potentially More Damaging than San Andreas or Japan’s Tōhoku

• John Cornelison
• 3/11/12

• Tags

  Cascadia , California , Legislation , Earthquakes , Funding , Japan , Study

In “Quake catastrophe like Japan's could hit Pacific Northwest, new data show” M. Alex Johnson of msnbc.com also reports on last month’s reports at the American Association for the Advancement of Science – noting that the Cascadia quake has numerous parallels with Japan’s Tōhoku disaster one year ago.

15% Chance of Local Cascadia Quake & Tsunami in Next 50-60 Years

• John Cornelison
• 3/11/12

• Tags

  Earthquakes , California , Cascadia , Preparedness

According to Bill Steele, the public is woefully unprepared for a certain disaster: we just don’t know when. Mr. Steele is Seismology Lab Coordinator for the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN) at the University of Washington Department of Earth and Space Sciences where he has worked since 1993.

In Memory of the 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

• John Cornelison
• 3/11/12

• Tags

  Earthquakes , Japan , Tsunami

Just a brief note to commemorate those whose lives have been disrupted and lost by the Tōhoku disaster one year ago today.

PSE Crews working on West Side Power Outage

• John Cornelison
• 3/5/12

• Tags

  Pse , Power outage , Vashon

Just a quick report that power (and phone) has been out for parts of the west side (near Redding's Loop Road at least) for ~3 hours. Apparently a large tree fell across the power line near 216th St. on 111th Ave. The tree has been removed at this point and crews are working on repairing the line. Hopefully power will be restored within a couple more hours or less.

DHS grant funding slashes preparedness - in favor of terrorism prevention

• John Cornelison
• 3/1/12

• Tags

  Federal , Preparedness , Grants , Funding , Fema

The DHS recently released the FY 2012 guidance and application kits for seven grant programs that support the National Preparedness Goal. Grants total more than $1.3 billion, a reduction of nearly $1 billion from FY 2011 and $1.5 billion below the President Obama’s FY 2012 request. The DHS preparedness grants give priority this year to applicants in the nation’s highest-risk areas, including urban areas, with a focus on terrorism prevention. “Given the significant reduction in grant funding this year, we are maximizing limited grant dollars by setting clear priorities and focusing on the areas that face the greatest risk,” DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement.

38% of Americans Never Considered Getting Prepared; 20% to “Wing It”!

• John Cornelison
• 3/1/12

• Tags

  Vashon , Volunteers , Vashon be prepared , Study , Preparedness , Us , Pi

Not too surprisingly, disaster preparedness is not at the forefront of most Americans priority – but many don’t even have any plans. The original research was done by the Persuadable Research Corporation with reports of the survey released by PRWeb and the Homeland Security News Wire.

Basic Animal Emergency Services Training (BAEST) March 17th Class Deadline is this Friday

• John Cornelison
• 2/29/12

• Tags

  Animals , Wa , Training , Cert

Basic Animal Emergency Services Training (BAEST), taught by the American Humane Association, costs $180 per person though CERT Volunteers who register through Catherine Cochrane can get in free! Registration is on a first come, first served basis. The registration deadline is this Friday, March 2nd. Click graphic to the right for details.

Steps to Comprehensive Business Planning and Preparedness

• John Cornelison
• 2/28/12

• Tags

  Vashon , Wa , Vashon be prepared , Bnero , Preparedness , Business continuity

Got a business on Vashon? Here’s what you need to know to avoid disruption after a fire, a storm, a pandemic, or an earthquake. It is courtesy of the Washington State’s Emergency Management Division’s Business Preparedness Website, that includes a ton of additional resources to help your business survive!