Tag Archives: emergencies

Mayor orders revamp of Seattle emergency management and alert protocols

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Following the controversy around the city’s response following the deadly Seattle Center shootout, Mayor Katie Wilson has signed an executive order to overhaul the city’s emergency response and disaster planning.

According to city officials, the directive addresses gaps identified in an independent 2025 assessment, operational reviews from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and lessons learned from the Bite of Seattle festival shooting. Wilson said “the old way of doing things is no longer enough” to protect the public from modern hazards and serious incidents in her administration’s announcement.

The order directs city departments to establish a unified strategy, standardize internal operations, and expand community preparedness. Under the directive, the Seattle Office of Emergency Management will guide all municipal departments to define their operational roles and create plans by late 2027 to ensure public services continue during disasters. Continue reading →

Why you should help build out the Seattle Emergency Hub Network in your Capitol Hill or Central District neighborhood

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(Image: Seattle Emergency Hub Network)

Homer Harris Park was recently the center of an exercise to help fine tune the abilities of neighbors to help neighbors in the Central District and across Capitol Hill in the event of a major catastrophe as part of a network of neighborhood hubs covering an increasing number of neighborhoods in Seattle.

If you look at the map of Seattle hubs and don’t see one in your area, don’t wait for someone else to build your community.

“You can start one if there’s a gap,” said Cindi Barker, one of the volunteer coordinators for the Hub Network and a Hub Captain for Morgan Junction Hub in West Seattle.

The Pacific Northwest, situated along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, faces the risk of a powerful earthquake. Recognizing the potential devastation of such an event, volunteers with the Seattle Emergency Hub Network are working to prepare Seattle residents for this looming threat.

The Hub Network: A Community-Driven Approach to Disaster Preparedness
The Hub Network, modeled after successful disaster preparedness initiatives in New Zealand, operates on the principle of community resilience. It comprises over 140 designated meeting points or Hubs strategically located throughout Seattle. These Hubs are situated in geologically safe areas away from potential building collapses and in spaces where people naturally congregate, such as parks, grocery stores, or condominiums. Continue reading →

Seattle hit with ‘the little one’ as 4.3 quake shakes city

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Waveforms from Sunday’s earthquake

Later this month, the Washington Emergency Management Division will hold its annual ShakeOut Day of earthquake drills at workplaces, schools, and homes across the state. Sunday night, the earth provided a small preview.

Observers at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network said the region was struck by a 4.3 magnitude earthquake at 7:21 PM with an epicenter 35 miles below Marrowstone Island — about 55 miles from the city.

There were no reports of damage but plenty of reports of people who felt the ripples across the area, Seattle, and on Capitol Hill.

Sunday’s earthquake was the first in the state with a magnitude of 4 or higher since 2019. Continue reading →

This is a test of the North Capitol Hill Emergency Hub system — This is only a test

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In an effort to bolster community resilience and preparedness, residents of Capitol Hill gathered for a neighborhood emergency drill Sunday organized by the North Capitol Hill Emergency Hub.

The event is part of volunteer-run efforts across the city trying to form a patchwork but still strong network of community plans and resources for how to keep neighborhoods safe and working when natural disasters and emergencies strike and people need to depend on each other.

The event, held in a Seventh Day Adventist Church’s parking lot at 13th and E Aloha, aimed to simulate the response to a major disaster when conventional communication channels might be down. Jessica Closson is the volunteer manager for the North Capitol Hill Hub.

“We are a group of neighbor volunteers who set up at our hub location and we practice how we would respond if there was a major disaster when all communications are down,” Closson said. “We have processes we are always trying to improve to make our response effective, so we practice and make sure we learn how to do the best job.” Continue reading →

North Capitol Hill Emergency Communication Hub to hold annual community emergency practice drill

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A community group dedicated to helping Capitol Hill neighbors organize in the event of a major catastrophe will hold an emergency drill Sunday afternoon and is looking for volunteers.

The North Capitol Hill Emergency Communication Hub is part of a network of volunteer-run efforts around Seattle dedicated to emergency preparedness.

Sunday, the group will gather in the parking lot of the Seventh Day Adventist Church at 13th and Aloha to practice and spread the word about being ready for emergencies. Continue reading →