Emergency Management Office: Prepare for Trio Of Major Storms Headed Our Way

— from Brendan Cowan, SJC Emergency Management —

The National Weather Service is forecasting a series of very powerful storms is headed our way, starting with heavy rain on Wednesday night.

The NWS models forecast a 1 in 3 chance that this could be a “worst case scenario leading to a historical windstorm for nearly all of western Washington that would be long remembered.”

Meteorologist Cliff Mass says it this way on his weather blog “Starting Thursday, we will enter a period of extraordinarily active weather with the potential for heavy rain, flooding, and a highly dangerous windstorm with the potential to be an historic event.” Forecasters are saying this storm may rival the 1962 Columbus Day storm in intensity, with air pressure as low as 28.20 inches or 958 mb (this is at the bottom of the scale on home barometers!). The ’62 storm caused widespread damage throughout the northwest.

Do these things now:

• Check your supplies, and buy staples you need such as bread and milk. Have easy to prepare meals on hand and ready if your power goes out. Review and renew your store of supplies – have at least 7 days of easy to prepare food and 1 gallon of water per person per day on hand. Here is our calendar with recommended supplies.
• Clear any drains around your property of leaves and other debris.
• Secure any loose items around your house and yard.
• Check the battery supply for your flashlights, and have plenty on hand. Charge your mobile devices and have battery back ups to power your wireless/VOIP phones. Remember, a corded phone will work when the power is out.
• Have an alternate way to keep warm if the power is out – wood or propane heat and lots of blankets.
• Have a supply of sandbags on hand to protect your property if you have any history of storm water entering your property. Sandbags are available at Browns on San Juan Island and Island Hardware on Orcas.
• In a power outage, remember do not run a generator in the garage – keep it well away from your house. The number to report an outage to OPALCO is 376-3599. OPALCO has more information available.
• Keep informed, have a battery operated radio on hand and sign up to receive Island Alerts at the DEM website.

This series of storms is setting up to be very serious and damaging. Of course the actual storm tracks may vary from predictions, but these forecasts give us time to make timely preparations – there is no reason not to!

You can find more information at the DEM website sanjuandem.net or contact the DEM office at, 370-0587, or email dem@sanjuandem.net.