Events planned for disaster preparedness month

The Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Office Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is happy to announce that October is Washington State Disaster Preparedness Month and NOAA Weather Radio Awareness Month.

Each of the remaining weeks in October, I plan on discussing a different aspect of how you and your family can become more prepared for emergencies or disasters. I will be discussing topics like a county wide test of the Emergency Community Notification System and an upcoming Weather Spotter class.

This week I would like to discuss an exciting statewide earthquake drill set for October 16th. Dubbed the Great Washington ShakeOut, this drill is scheduled for 10:16 a.m. on October 16th. The effort is designed to emphasize the importance of emergency preparedness at home, school, and the workplace.

More than 830,000 Washington residents have signed up for the event. State officials hope the exercise involves more than 1 million participants in Washington. Washington residents can register for the drill at http://www.shakeout.org/washington.

I would like to encourage every county resident to participate in the drill by dropping to the ground, finding cover and holding on. If you’re not able to participate than I encourage you to learn about the hazards that an earthquake may cause in your home and at work and take action to increase the safety for yourself and your family.

To learn more about earthquake safety and preparedness visit my website at: http://www.co.wahkiakum.wa.us/dem.html

If you have any questions or for more information on the item I have discussed in this article, contact me at 795-3242, 465-2202 or visit my website at: http://www.co.wahkiakum.wa.us/dem.html.