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.

PBS Terra is the branch of PBS Digital Studios that shows science and nature content. Their latest video on tsunamis—What's the ONE THING You Can Do To Survive a Tsunami? Cascadia Subduction Zone—focuses on the threat to our region,

The task for April is to prepare a go bag. This task involves gathering important items that you need to take with you when you have to leave quickly. But this is also a good time to prepare commuter and vehicle bags. A vehicle bag contains emergency supplies and stays in your vehicle. A commuter bag carries portable essentials and goes with you to school or to work.

The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Team can answer all your questions about emergency water storage and emergency sanitation. You’ll find team representatives at Bay Hay and Feed Saturday, March 23.

This month, we’re focusing on sustainable water storage and conservation tips to make sure you have a safe and clean water supply when you need it most.

We all know an earthquake will eventually hit the greater Seattle area. If that happens during the school day, the Bainbridge Prepares partnership - in conjunction with local child-centric organizations - has developed an islandwide child reunification plan.

The task for March is to create a water supply. This task involves storing an emergency water supply, protecting your existing water supply, gathering water treatment methods, and identifying backup water sources. Read more about water supplies here.

If you’ve visited anywhere along the Washington coast, you’ve seen the signs: Beach Logs Kill. Although people who aren’t from this area may understand the literal meaning of the words, they don’t really get it until they see it—or until someone explains it to them.

Wanda Vollmer knows what it’s like to go through a disaster. When she was in her twenties, she moved back to her family’s central California ranch to help care for her mom. In August of 1994, in San Luis Obispo County, what became known as the Highway 41 fire burned 49,000 acres of land and 42 houses including Vollmer’s family home.