As individual citizens, we play a vital role in our community’s journey to become the most prepared town in Washington State. It is our responsibility – not City Hall’s nor the Fire Department’s – to be able to take care of ourselves and our neighbors for at least two weeks after a widespread natural disaster.
Our first responders will be overwhelmed and focused on taking care of the community’s core infrastructure. Additional help from outside the area such as the Red Cross will arrive, but not for weeks due to significant destruction of regional transportation systems.
As you consider preparing your home and family for emergencies, download this brief PDF to learn more about our Map Your Neighborhood program, how to receive text-based Nixle alerts, and the Top 10 Essentials you’ll want to have on hand to help your loved ones and direct neighbors. You’ll also read about our Disaster Hub network, K-12 school preparedness plans, and training opportunities we offer throughout the year.
Be familiar with what you should do in the first five minutes after an earthquake (PDF) to secure yourself and your loved ones and with what materials you should have on hand.
Here’s a quick list of actions you can take *today* to start on the path of preparedness for yourself and your loved ones:
Sign up for Nixle, a FREE notification system used by our police, fire, and city to advise subscribers of road closures and other emergencies with real time updates on your cell phone, email, or both.- Discuss this family reunification plan (PDF) – customized for Bainbridge Island residents – to help you prepare to quickly and safely reunite with your loved ones.
- Know (and share with your neighbors) your wildfire evacuation zone (large download).
- Attend our our annual preparedness event at City Hall.
- Listen to this insightful podcast series we did with BARN.
- Watch this short video series from the Cascadia Rising 2022 event.
- Review these gear checklists to support you with gathering supplies to either shelter-in-place, evacuate with a Go Bag, or get back to the island via a Get Home Bag. Read more about supplies here. You may find the Kitsap Sun’s 12-month buying guide and Washington state’s Prepare in a Year Guide to also be helpful.
- Sometimes buying a readymade shelter-in-place kit is easier and faster than building your own. We have a partnership with Cascadia Quake Kits which donates 5% of your purchase back to Bainbridge Prepares to further our community work.
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