City challenges Shoreline community to prepare for emergencies

From the Shoreline Office of Emergency Management

This September: A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare.

This September will mark the ten year anniversary of 9/11 and we ask you to take time to remember those lost as well as time to make sure you are prepared for future emergencies. 

September is National Preparedness Month (NPM), which was founded after 9/11 to increase preparedness in the U.S. It is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for an unexpected emergency. 

As we mark the 10 year Anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks we would like to remind everyone of the importance of staying vigilant – if you see something suspicious, report it.

If you’ve seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities just like ours, to people like you. We’ve seen tornado outbreaks, floods, historic earthquakes, tsunamis, and even water main breaks and power outages in U.S. cities affecting millions of people for days at a time. 

Mayor McGlashan will declare September National Preparedness Month at the September 13 City Council meeting.

During the month, please take the time to prepare and plan for being without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or local services for several days. Follow these three steps:

1. Get a Kit: Keep enough emergency supplies on hand for you and those in your care – water, non-perishable food, first aid, prescriptions, flashlight, battery-powered radio. 

For a checklist of supplies visit any of these websites: 

• City of Shoreline  
• Take Winter by Storm 
• 3 Days 3 Ways

2. Make a Plan: Discuss, agree on, and document an emergency plan with those in your care. For sample plans, visit the websites referred to above. Work together with neighbors, colleagues and others to build community resilience.

3. Be Informed: Free information is available to assist you from federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial resources. You can find preparedness information by visiting the websites mentioned above or accessing Ready.gov 

You can also contact Shoreline Emergency Management Coordinator Gail Harris at (206) 801-2271 to get essential information on specific hazards to your area, local plans for shelter and evacuation, ways to get information before and during an emergency, and how to sign up for emergency alerts if they are available. 

Your neighborhood Shoreline Fire Department firehouse also has information available about preparedness

Police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.

As FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate reminds us, "Individuals and families are the most important members of the nation's emergency management team. Being prepared can save precious time if there is a need to respond to an emergency."