JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – The Directorate of Emergency Services at Joint Base Lewis-McChord partnered with agencies from across the installation and outside the base’s gates to provide a Disaster Preparedness Expo Sept. 9.
Intended to provide JBLM residents with the information necessary to plan for the unexpected, the event featured interactive messaging about the unique challenges facing the Pacific Northwest and what communities could expect during a natural disaster.
“Residents or families should be prepared with enough supplies to sustain them for up to two weeks,” Mark Williamson, emergency manager at JBLM’s Directorate of Emergency Services, said. “We live in a Cascadia Subduction Zone, if we have a large scale earthquake then it’s going to take agencies a significant amount of time to reach the area and set up before they can begin responding.”
In addition to being prepared, Williamson also encouraged residents to know where to turn for emergency updates during a disaster or major weather event.
“We encourage everyone to sign up for the mass alerts that are sent out from the base, and to be sure to follow local social media pages,” Williamson said. “Depending upon the severity of the situation, those are likely going to be the best place to get the most accurate, up to date information in that moment.”
Yelm residents Stephanie Ries and Lee Ann Hann said the information they learned at the expo helped them to put the finishing touches on their emergency kits at home.
“We have a lot of things scattered across the house, so we will work to put it all together so it’s available to use quickly,” Hann said.
Williamson said he hopes the expo will return to JBLM every few years to help keep residents aware of the latest emergency developments and recommendations.
Be sure to check out this link for a visual story from the event: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxF9u4GrJPP/.
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