Contact:

Cherie Nevin, Emergency Management Coordinator at (360) 867-2827 or cherie.nevin@co.thurston.wa.us

OLYMPIA –The most recent storm brought rain, wind, and power outages throughout Thurston County. While winter isn’t officially here yet, Thurston County is encouraging everyone to prepare for winter storms by checking emergency kits and learning how to be informed before, during, and after disasters strike.

Winter storms can bring extreme cold, freezing rain, snow, ice, and high winds lasting a few hours to several days.  It can cut off heat, power, and communication services as well as putting older adults, children, sick individuals, and pets at greater risk. There is also a higher risk of car accidents, hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, and heart attacks from overexertion during a storm.

"In preparation for winter, we're focusing on encouraging residents to sign up for Thurston Community Alert (TC Alert), the county’s official emergency notification system,” said Peter Tassoni, Thurston County Emergency Management Manager.  “With TC Alert, you can get alerts sent directly to your smartphone, or other devices, including flood warnings, evacuation notices and instructions, or severe weather alerts. Learn more and sign up today at tcalert.org or text Thurston to 67283 from your mobile phone.”

Sandbags are a critical resource during flood situations. They are used to limit water damage to buildings and to protect areas from inundation; however, the number of sandbags may become limited during an emergency. For information on where you can get sand and sandbags in Thurston County, please visit the Emergency Management website. 

Visit the following websites for winter storm information and resources:

• Puget Sound Energy 
• Thurston County Public Works Winter Storm Response 
• Washington State Department of Transportation
• National Weather Service

To stay connected, follow Thurston County Emergency Management on Facebook and Twitter at: Facebook ThurstonEM and Twitter @ThurstonEM. While Thurston County is prone to flooding - especially in the fall and winter – our community is stronger and more resilient when we work together and prepare. 

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