Full Notification

Tomorrow is the Great Washington Shakeout, an annual emergency drill with over 1.3 million registered participants in Washington alone.
 
Participating is easy – wherever you are at 10:17 tomorrow, build your muscle memory in preparation for large earthquake that will inevitably hit our area: Drop under a sturdy chair, table or desk; Cover up your head and your neck; Hold On to the object so it does not move away from you during the shaking. This method gives you the best statistical chance of surviving and preventing injury during a major earthquake.
 
At 10:17, Emergency Management will be testing our Nixle emergency text alert system, as well as the three AHAB tsunami sirens along the coast. KPTZ 91.9 will be broadcasting live from the EOC with preparedness tips and additional information. 
 
After the drill, everyone is encouraged to take additional actions to help build their own disaster resiliency. Restock or add items to your disaster kit. Talk with your friends, family, or coworkers. Learn more about the hazards in our area. Although getting prepared can be intimidating, it is a gradual process, and small improvements can make a big difference when disaster strikes.
 
If you have any questions, concerns, or are interested in training from my department, please let me know.

Additionally, one more thing before I let you go: We have heard some concerns recently about the lack of Nixle messages recently, and people are wondering if the system is still active. As this text and message shows, it is absolutely still active, we simply have not had incidents that met our alerting threshold (and admittedly, we have had one that we were notified of too late to send an alert). As such, we have not issued a Nixle since late June. 

However, moving forward we will be holding a monthly test of the Nixle alert system, which will take place the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 1:00PM, to coincide with our Neighborhood Preparedness Leadership meeting. This way, we can all ensure Nixle is still working smoothly if there has not been a recent alert. 

If you still have concerns over weather or not Nixle is working properly for you, please reach out and we can help. 
 
Thanks for all that you do to make our community safer!
 
Willie Bence
Director - Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management
Cell: (360) 316-6008
Desk: (360) 344-9729
www.jeffcoeoc.org