How to Prepare for Disaster

The Puget Sound Fire Department at the Scene of the Ongoing Greater Los Angeles Fires // PugetSoundFire X

Within the last several years, natural disaster incidents have seemed to become increasingly more common along the West Coast. Not too long ago, Washington experienced the harrowing bomb cyclone, an event that left residents powerless for up to several weeks and one individual dead. Recently, greater Los Angeles was set ablaze, likely due to climate change implications. With these events in mind, you possibly have several questions in mind surrounding these occurrences. How could our local community prime themselves for such natural disaster events? What could these disaster events mean for Washington residents moving forward?

With climate change rising throughout the region, we can expect natural disaster events to continue in the years to come. 

As mentioned by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Pacific Northwest has been vulnerable to chronic warming, and it’s evident by the annual average temperature rising 2°F since the early 1900s. Within the last 20-30 years, the warmest years recorded have occurred throughout the region. For instance, in Washington, the hottest year documented was in 2015 with a statewide temperature of 50°F.

Due to increasing temperatures, precipitation trends are changing at an alarming rate. By the end of the 21st century, the USDA predicts an increase in average annual temperature of 4.7 to 10°F in Washington and other regional states. Accompanying these precipitation changes, snowpack reduction and an increase in drought are becoming more prevalent throughout the region.

Understanding all of this, natural disaster events will become more common moving forward. By now, you may have seen several instances of these events in the past couple of years, such as the 2021 Western North America Heatwave or the amount of wildfires thrashing Eastern Washington in recent memory. The temperature increase, along with the droughts and reduced snowpacks, have made wildfires more inevitable and will continue unless immediate measures are taken. 

What’s worth mentioning is that harsher winter storms are likely to become common moving forward. Warming temperature has led to substantial changes in local atmospheric rivers, causing heavy winds and extreme precipitation events, and the USDA expects these two events to rise by at least 50% by the end of the century. Warmer water temperatures, altered water chemistry, sea level rise, and shifts in marine ecosystems are also expected to continue. All of these occurrences listed either have a direct or indirect correlation to harsh winter storms, such as the recent bomb cyclone back in Nov. 2024.

How should you prepare for a Natural Disaster Event? Here are several tips to follow to maximize the efficiency of your preparations.

Prepare yourself and those close to you to become self-reliant. The National Institute of Health (NIH) recommends citizens have at least three days of emergency supplies, including non-perishable food, a first aid-kit, medicines, a portable device, a flashlight, and sanitation equipment. 

Learn the CPR procedure and the mechanisms of your first aid kit. It’s possible that medical personnel cannot get access to you, so it’s good to be well-versed in knowing how to use these procedures when the time comes. 

Plan and discuss with your family to establish a location inside your home that is suitable or at least reasonably safe to take shelter in and remain until danger has passed. Conversely, examine possible escape routes. Evacuation may be necessary for specific natural disaster events, so be ready to leave quickly. 

Explore possible options on where your family should reunite if potentially separated by the disaster. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it’s advised to choose an “Out-of-Town” contact, such as an out-of-town friend or relative, to let them know of your whereabouts. After the disaster, you and your family members should contact this person immediately.

Lastly, as recommended by the NIH, ensure your insurance, such as your flooding coverage, is up-to-date. Secure your home by checking the walls, roof and other foundations of your house to make sure they could sustain themselves in such events. 

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