Emergency preparedness in Wahkiakum County: communications

Create a Disaster Plan:

It is important to have a good communications plan before, during and after a disaster. Develop a family/household communication and reunification plan so that you can maintain contact and take the best actions for each of you to re-unite if you are separated. Discuss the types of disasters that are likely to happen and explain what to do in each case. Discuss what to do in an evacuation and pick two places to meet:

• Right outside your home.

• Outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.

Make sure that everyone in your household as well as emergency contacts away from home, like family or friends, know the address of where to contact you and your phone number.

Know Where to Get Accurate and Reliable Information:

During a disaster, it is important to know where to receive accurate and reliable information. Social media can be a helpful tool for public safety agencies to use to relay important information, but make sure it comes from a reliable source. For example, the Wahkiakum County Department of Emergency Management, Wahkiakum CountySheriff’s Office, and Wahkiakum County Search and Rescue have Facebook pages which would be more reliable than a local group chat forum.

Additionally, you may receive what is commonly referred to as a “Reverse 911” from the Wahkiakum County Department of Emergency Management or Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Office. There are a few different types of these systems which can alert residents in case of an emergency “shelter in place” or “evacuation” order. There is the Emergency Community Notifications System (ECNS), which is an “opt in” type notification system. In Wahkiakum County, we use a system called HyperReach for ECNS. HyperReach also allows us to send Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), which is a cellphone notification, like an “Amber Alert” as well as Emergency Alert System (EAS) alerts, which are broadcast over FM or AM radio as well as cable television.

For more information about creating an Emergency Communications Plan or for reliable and accurate Emergency Information Resources, please contact the Wahkiakum County Department of Emergency Management at 360-795-7876 or email em@co.wahiakum.wa.us.