Storing a large supply of food can be challenging. It requires spending money, making decisions, anticipating food needs, checking for expiration, and restocking. It’s not a one-and-done event.

We should all be worried as climate change results in more extreme weather patterns and events. But worrying in a vacuum does nothing. Preparing, on the other hand, can help mitigate effects, improve resilience, speed up recovery, and facilitate better sleep.

The Washington Emergency Management Division recently completed a Tsunami Maritime Response and Mitigation Strategy for the City of Bainbridge Island’s Eagle Harbor. This report is the first to take a look at potential impacts from an earthquake on the nearby Seattle Fault.

Radon is sneaky. It’s odorless and colorless. It results from the decay of uranium in rocks and soil, so you’re most likely to find it lurking in basements and crawl spaces. You probably didn’t even know that January is National Radon Action Month. That’s just how under the radar radon is.

Preparing for emergencies is not about fear. To the contrary, it’s a reflection of a healthy attitude of resilience. When you prepare for emergencies, you show your children, family, friends, and neighbors that you’re not in denial and that, reassuringly, you are taking care of things.

The December 5 earthquake in Northern California and resulting quake and tsunami warnings, combined with a recent change in COBI’s Nixle alert procedures, have raised some questions from local residents about alerts. Hopefully this explainer will provide some clarity.

December is a good time to review everything you’ve done on this 12-month journey to prepare—and feel good about all that hard work. It’s also the time to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Examine any possible hazards: water heater, furniture and appliances, toxic chemicals, and exterior hazards.

This fall, the National Weather Service warned city emergency managers across the region, including Bainbridge City Emergency Coordinator Anne LeSage, that we should be expecting a colder, wetter winter. That experience may be starting today.

The City of Bainbridge Island’s emergency and news alert system, Everbridge Nixle, went through a change at the end of October. The City had been using Nixle to let people know about major events and scheduled road work as well as emergencies.

The task for November is to prepare for sheltering in place. Sheltering in place is not something we have much reason to do in western Washington. But when we do, it is of utmost importance to do it right. Almost always, the occasion will be a chemical, biological, or radiological event.

I recently spoke to a neighbor who said that she had been planning to do Prepare in a Year and had saved the information from our series of monthly articles but that she had so far not done any of the preparation activities. I told her it didn’t matter that it was October; she could still start now. Doing anything, I said, is better than doing nothing.

The task for October is to prepare for earthquakes by gathering supplies, readying your household, and practicing what to do when the shaking starts.

The task for September is to stash your under-the-bed supplies. Under-the-bed supplies are those items you can reach for when you’ve been awakened by a crisis, such as an earthquake.

The task for August is to get utility safe. Utility safety largely consists of familiarizing yourself with the turnoff valves for gas, water, and electricity and making sure your gas systems and electrical systems are safe.

The task for July is to get fire safe. When talking about fire, we are referring to fire prevention, preparation, and swift and appropriate response.

The task for June is to get 3 weeks ready. In the event of a large-scale emergency, Bainbridge Islanders are likely to be isolated for at least three weeks. The bridge might be down and the ferry might be out of service.

The task for May is to gather important documents. The idea is to make sure you have these documents ready if you need to evacuate. During a disaster is not the time to try to think through the paperwork you will need. Such considerations will require quick and easy access to documents that could be inaccessible after a disaster or destroyed by it.

You can enhance your home and boat safety with a fire extinguisher upgrade May 11 at the Winslow Wharf Marina. The fire extinguisher and boat safety event—co-sponsored by BP, Eagle Harbor Yacht Club, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Peninsula Fire—is intended to help people keep their homes and vessels fire safe and Coast Guard–regulation compliant.

On January 23, Futurist Bob Johansen (iftf.org) and community organizer Scott James (preparedneighborhoods.com) discussed “Being Future Ready in the Noisy Now” for an audience at Eagle Harbor Books. This 55-minute interactive conversation is now available for viewing on video.

FEMA Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah) in partnership with iThrive Games Foundation has just released Disaster Mind, an online educational game for teens designed to improve disaster decision-making skills.