How We Prepare

There are may ways to prepare both personally and through coordinated efforts with neighbors.  Educating yourself on the risks, understanding how to respond, establishing plans of action and communicating and educating family members and neighbors are all components of good preparation.

Personal Preparation

​​Following earthquake response simulations the Washington State Emergency Management Division developed a program called 2 Weeks Ready encouraging all citizens in earthquake zones to build and maintain a kit with food, water and other essential supplies.
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Also, the Bellevue Office of Emergency Management offers guidance concerning how to personally prepare for disasters and how to prepare your family and home.
A kit can be expensive to purchase all at once.  In response, the Red Cross has developed a kit calendar which prioritizes and distributes kit component purchases over a period of 24 weeks. By the 24th week you will have a complete kit.

Neighborhood Preparation

Neighbors who are prepared to communicate and help each other during an emergency situation are more resilient to disasters and have improved safety.   Neighbors meeting through block groups is an important first step in this process.  Bellevue supports a program called Map Your Neighborhood.  The program creates a foundation for personal and community disaster preparation.

Communications

When a major earthquake or other disaster strikes our region telephone services may be interrupted for days or weeks. We are looking to identify people in Somerset who are ham radio operators or maintain satellite phone call or text services that are willing to assist with communications during a widespread emergency or disaster situation. Please contact us at the address below if you would be willing to help out in such a situation.

Community Emergency Response Team

Neighborhood residents with organizational, response and lifesaving skills may be of vital importance during the first few hours of a disaster response. Bellevue Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a program of citizen volunteers who are specially trained to help in emergency and disaster scenarios. We currently have a few "CERTs" in our neighborhood but not nearly enough to provide a coordinated neighborhood disaster response. Please consider being added to the list of trained CERTs in Somerset.

Training Resources

​There are many additional training resources available to help you stay informed and up to date with the latest information and skills.