Whatcom County's Division of Emergency Management reported Friday that the Emergency Operations Center is not activated and no major active incidents are affecting the region. Residents should stay signed up for emergency alerts through WhatcomReady, the county's official alert notification service for floods, wildfires, and other local hazards.
The most notable item from Friday's briefing is an upcoming public meeting on Whatcom County's updated Hazard Mitigation Plan. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, at 6 p.m. and will be held virtually. It represents a meaningful opportunity for Whatcom County residents to have their voices heard on how local government plans to reduce risk from natural and human-caused disasters for years to come.
Hazard mitigation plans are federally required documents that identify the risks a community faces, from earthquakes and flooding to wildfire and landslides, and outline the strategies local governments will use to reduce long-term vulnerability. FEMA requires these plans to be updated every five years, and jurisdictions that let them lapse lose eligibility for certain federal disaster preparedness and recovery grants.
For Whatcom County, the planning update process has included multiple rounds of public input. County officials previously collected feedback at the Whatcom County Emergency Coordination Center in early June. The June 23 virtual session is the final scheduled public opportunity before the plan is submitted to FEMA for approval. Local governments, school districts, fire districts, and tribal nations with land in Whatcom County are all stakeholders in the plan's priority-setting and project recommendations.
Residents who want to shape which hazards get the most attention can also complete the online public survey hosted by the county. The survey asks residents to weigh in on which natural hazards they consider most serious and what mitigation measures they believe should be prioritized for their neighborhoods and communities.
No active weather advisories, watches, or warnings are currently in effect for Whatcom County. The emergency management team continues to monitor regional conditions and coordinate with state and federal partners as part of its ongoing year-round preparedness work. For a look at how local agencies have handled long-running public safety remediation, this account of the Port of Bellingham's shipyard cleanup gives useful context on how county departments manage multi-year projects.
Emergency preparedness officials consistently emphasize that individual and household preparedness is the foundation of community resilience. The recommended baseline steps are signing up for WhatcomReady alerts, keeping a household emergency supply kit stocked with at least three days of food and water, and knowing your household's evacuation routes for different types of emergencies.
The virtual meeting link and further details about the Hazard Mitigation Plan update will be posted on the Whatcom County website. Residents can find current information at whatcomcounty.us under the Emergency Management section.
