The task for February is similar to that of January. Store enough food for all people in your household (including pets) for four weeks or more.

Have you accomplished your Prepare in a Year task for January? This is a reminder that you still have a few more days to get it done.

It’s a simple task, but it does require some muscle, since water is heavy, and some space, since water takes up room.

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.

There’s nothing we like better than helping our community prepare. So we’re getting ready for our second Prepare in a Year, the 2025 version, and its monthly focus topics and activities.

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.

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.

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 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.

The task for February is to make an action plan. Creating an action plan involves deciding what to do when a disaster strikes and practicing it in advance. There are three main steps to creating an action plan.

The Prepare in a Year task for January is to create a communications plan. The City’s Climate Smart Team is focusing on creating a Climate Smart Communications Plan for when you’re traveling.

Bainbridge Island takes its pickleball quite seriously. Ever since the game invention right here in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, islanders have devoted time, energy, and intense emotion to the sport. Maybe that is why pickleball lends itself perfectly to emergency preparedness.

You can prepare your household for emergencies in one year by taking a few small steps each month. In January, make a communications plan.

The Bainbridge Prepares partnership is excited to announce Prepare in a Year 2024, a year-long participatory event for the entire community.