Stanwood-Camano Community Coalition
Notes from 8-20-25 Disaster Preparedness Workgroup Meeting
Welcome & Introductions
Attendees: Natalie Hagglund (SCAF), Sam Norris (Stanwood Camano Food Bank), Mary Hoffman (Stanwood-Camano School District), Bonnie Eckley (Camano Center), Rhonda Paulson (Camano Preparedness Group), Patty Nichols (Providence)
ASSUMPTIONS
Some Preparedness models
4-P’s: Predict, Plan, Prepare, Practice
5-types: Prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery
5-P’s of evacuation: People & Pets, Prescriptions, Papers, Personal Needs, Priceless Items
3-R’s: Readiness, Response and Recovery
Major Disaster Scenarios
Earthquakes
Floods
Wildfires
Chemical spills
Cyberattacks
Volcanoes
Tsunami
Terrorism
Pandemics
Six types of emergencies:
natural disasters
health emergencies
human-caused incidents
technological emergencies
security threats
workplace emergencies
Guiding Questions:
Which of these hazards are most likely or most concerning for Stanwood-Camano?
Which hazards are least addressed in current plans?
Are there emerging threats we should be paying more attention to? Instead of trying to plan for specific emergencies, we should be looking at common consequences and how to plan for/respond to them, such as issues with: water, power, food, communication, transportation (roads), medical
Review of Existing Plans
Still working on acquiring all of the plans. We are unsure if each plan will include the entity’s response to the community, or if they are internally focused. We may need to also acquire operational plans.
Stanwood-Camano School District Emergency Plan
City of Stanwood Comprehensive Plan – have not acquired yet
Camano Preparedness Group Plan
Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan
Whidbey Island Comprehensive Plan – no cohesive plan across the county
Fire Department
Guiding Questions:
What are the key priorities or strengths of each plan?
Where do these plans overlap or reinforce one another?
Where do they differ, and could this create confusion in an emergency?
Are these plans coordinated with county or regional disaster planning?
The group wonders if all of the plans could be submitted to ChatGPT, with the questions we are looking for, for review.
Identifying Gaps in Current Efforts
Guiding Questions:
What parts of the community (e.g., vulnerable populations, nonprofits, businesses) are not clearly included in existing planning?
How well are communication systems set up between different agencies and organizations?
Are nonprofits and service providers identified as response partners in any of these plans?
Where are the biggest risks if coordination does not improve?
Camano Preparedness is currently focused on CERT training, Neighborhood Readiness, and Educational Opportunities. This type of focus should be replicated in Stanwood, along with more CERT opportunities, focus on reaching out to HOA’s. CPG recommends 2 months of preparedness (food, medicine, etc.) plus a little extra for neighbors.
Our community needs to be educated on the challenges involved with living in this area, and what they need to do to be prepared to shelter in place until help arrives (if it arrives). “What it means to live in a rural area: The risks aren’t different – the resources are.” We need to get the word out and amplify the issue.
We need trained shelter managers, knowledge of what buildings have generators, stored solar power, etc. We need volunteer job descriptions for when people show up to help.
The food bank is willing to store medical trauma supplies and water (recommended by Red Cross and FEMA), but needs funds to do so and ongoing funds to replace expired items. Also in need to funding to get their food inventory up off the floor.
This initiative could definitely be a good candidate for a larger grant request in order to create the community infrastructure we need.
Existing Partnerships & Coordination
Guiding Questions:
What partnerships or collaborations are already working well? Look at bainbridgeprepares.org and apply for their toolkit.
Are there examples of joint training, exercises, or shared resources?
Where do organizations already know how to work together?
What partnerships are missing or underdeveloped?
Next Steps
Guiding Questions:
What are the top 2–3 priorities this group should focus on in the next 6–12 months? Determine how best to organize this work. We don’t think a new nonprofit needs to be formed just for this, but a strong collaboration of volunteers through the coalition.
Who else should be invited to the table (organizations or individuals not yet engaged)? PUD
How should we organize ongoing collaboration—regular meetings, subcommittees, training, community education? All of the above
What follow-up commitments are we making today?
Closing
Recap of discussion
Confirm next meeting date or follow-up process – Wednesday, October 1, 1:00pm (hopefully to discuss the Bainbridge Model)
Appreciation for participation
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