The fall time change, which, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, happened last night, is a great reminder to take care of some semiannual home preparation tasks.

More than 5,000 kids attend school, day care, or other programs on Bainbridge. On any given day, a good percentage of the parents/caretakers of those children may be working off island. What happens if on a school day a disaster occurs that shuts down the bridge and ferry system?

Getting prepared for disaster should not be an activity possible only for people with financial means. A community is not truly prepared unless everyone in it is prepared. There is no equity unless everyone is able to feel relatively safe.

The Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) reported October 25 that state “blood banks are facing critical shortages of life-saving blood.” In particular, the shortages are affecting supplies of O and Rh- blood and platelets.

Earthquake preparation involves knowing what to do when an earthquake starts and what to do when the shaking stops.