What's New?

Skywarn Weather Spotter Training

The National Weather Service will be training new and veteran weather spotters on how to look for and report significant weather events on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at the West Thurston Fire Department.  For more information click here.

County Residents Affected by Floods Urged to Contact FEMA

Thurston County residents affected by the flooding of January 7-9 are urged to apply to FEMA for damage assistance.  Residents can apply on-line at www.DisasterAssistance.gov  or over the phone at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).

Please have the following available:

1. Social Security number.

2. Current and pre-disaster address.

3. A telephone number where you can be contacted.

4. Insurance information.

5. Total household annual income

6. A routing and account number from your bank (only necessary if you want disaster assistance funds transferred directly into your bank account)

7. A description of your losses that were caused by the disaster

Residents who suffered damage are encouraged to apply for FEMA assistance as soon as possible. 

Farmers Suffering Losses From Latest Storm Encouraged to Report Damage and Losses

Farmers suffering damage to their farms and production losses due to the storm need to report the damage and losses to their local USDA Farm Service Agency offices.  Even if  a Presidential Disaster Declaration may not be warranted, a USDA Secretarial Agriculture Disaster Declaration may be declared.  The reports of damage and losses from the farmers are vital in making that determination.   If no damage or losses are reported, USDA Disaster Assistance may not be made available.

For more information, or to report farm or production losses, click here.

Certain residents of the Chehalis and Deschutes River basins in Thurston County, affected by last year's flood, may be eligible for home elevation grants.  Please click here for more information, or contact Connie Rivera at 360-709-3065 with eligibility questions.

Digital TV Transition:  How Will You Receive Local  Emergency Alert System Broadcasts?

On February 17, 2009 all full-power broadcast television stations in the U.S. will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital format.  When this takes place, some televisions will not be able to receive local television broadcasts using a standard antenna.  They also will not receive local Emergency Alert System broadcasts and warnings over the television. 

Click this link for more information about how the Digital TV transition might affect you and what you can do to prepare. 

The American Red Cross "Safe and Well" web site helps families stay connected during disasters.  Individuals and families affected by the disaster can register themselves as "safe and well".  Family and friends can then log on and search for registered individuals to learn of their whereabouts and safety.  For more information, or to register yourself, click here.

Faith Communities Disaster Preparedness Web Page

Local faith organizations meet quarterly to discuss disaster planning for their organizations and for the community.  See our new Faith Communities Disaster Preparedness website for more information. 

Interested in Learning More About Emergency Preparedness?  

For individual or family preparedness and to learn about the Map Your Neighborhood program, go to our Emergency Preparedness Public Education page.  

If you and your neighbors or organization want to develop a Community Emergency Response Team, see our CERT page.

To learn more on the web about emergency preparedness, check out 3days3ways.org or our LINKS page.

Homeland Security Advisory System

Airline Travel Threat Level

The U.S. aviation threat level for all commercial domestic and international flights is High (Orange).

The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security has a citizen preparedness website - Ready.gov.   You can also request a copy of Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness, a 101-page all-hazards preparedness book by calling 1-800-480-2520.

The American Red Cross provides recommendations for individuals, families, neighborhoods, schools and businesses that correspond to the color coded Homeland Security Advisory System.

For information about avian influenza and pandemic influenza, see www.pandemicflu.gov.  For information preparing for flu-related disruptions in the work force, see  It's Not Flu As Usual:  What Businesses Need to Know About Pandemic Flu Planning.   This publication was developed and distributed by the Trust for America's Health.  For more information, see www.healthyamericans.org.  

Frequently Asked Questions about Disaster Assistance

Provided by Washington State Emergency Management, Frequently Asked Questions About Disaster Assistance addresses issues that citizens should know about disaster assistance.

For up-to-date information on geologic activity at Mount St. Helens, see the websites below, maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver and the University of Washington, Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network in Seattle.

     http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/CurrentActivity/current_updates.html 

     http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/CurrentActivity

     http://www.pnsn.org/HELENS/welcome.html 

Preparedness information is available at:

     Volcanic Ashfall Preparedness Brochure

     Washington State Emergency Management  (see Natural Hazards/Volcano)