You know that substance that falls throughout a good part of the year and makes mud, turning floors into dust rinks and dog undercarriages into shake-triggered couch-destruction devices?

When a disaster occurs, the first thing people want to do is find out what happened, get a sense of what will happen, and make sure the people they care about are okay. This month we focus on communication.

Preparing for emergencies can be expensive. When it comes to building an emergency food supply, the high cost is exacerbated by the fact that food expires more quickly than other resources. Add to that the rising cost of food in 2025 and 2026, and you might be tempted to ignore the issue altogether.

Healthy eating improves gut health, and one of the best ways to achieve that is through growing and eating your own food. But some of us don’t have space for a large garden.

Last year was a big one for Bainbridge Prepares as the organization moved into its 15th year of operation, struggled through some growing pains, and achieved some crucial organizational milestones. We reached out to Bainbridge Prepares Teams to get their recaps of last year’s accomplishments. This is what the teams shared.

In a large-scale earthquake, the South End is likely to be cut off from the rest of the Island, and residents there want to make sure they will have access to key emergency supplies so they can manage for weeks or longer until roads can be cleared. The community fundraised for materials and construction, and right before the New Year about a dozen people helped build and load a supershed at the Fort Ward Community Hall Disaster Hub.

The second most-important supply, after water, is food.

In a disaster, grocery stores will likely be closed for a while. But even if they are able to open, their supply will be cleared out quickly, and the disaster may make it impossible for stores to restock their shelves right away.

The Bainbridge Prepares’ Food Resilience Team Veg Club, as always, is itching to get started on another season of abundant growth.

This month the Prepare in a Year topic is water. Do the Prepare in a Year activity (submit the form if you want to enter to win a prize), but also teach yourself more on the topic.

We’re starting our Prepare in a Year 26 program with water because, without it, you’re not going to last very long after a disaster.

Prepare in a Year 26 starts now. You can take care of all of your worries about being prepared for disasters by following our monthly readiness program, which tackles one topic per month.

The Dumpster Fire of 2025 is coming to an end. We can hope for a better 2026, but there will certainly be more natural and unnatural disasters near and/or far in the upcoming year.

The two most important things you can do to prepare for emergencies are to ready your household and connect with your neighbors.

After our series of atmospheric rivers, we are now being gifted with blizzards in the Cascades and Olympics. Try not to travel through the mountain passes, but if you must then be sure to add these items to your vehicle.

With the wind whipping us all over the place today, it seems like a good time to remind everyone about Bainbridge Island Fire Department and Puget Sound Energy rules regarding downed wires:

Nothing says I love you and care about you quite like the gift of emergency preparedness. Show your family and friends this holiday season that you’re thinking about them by giving them something they actually need and that might just save their life.

More than 70,000 (possibly as many as 100,000) people have been given evacuation orders during the current flooding of rivers in western Washington. All 10,000 residents of Burlington were asked to evacuate Friday (Dec. 12) morning.

The National Weather Service is predicting heavy rain for the next six days at least. The rainfall is coinciding with King Tides, between today and December 9. This combination puts low-lying areas at risk for flooding.

On Bainbridge Island, we use the Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) Program to help neighborhoods organize and prepare for disasters. To date, more than 54 percent of households on Bainbridge have gone through the program. If your neighborhood is one of the other 46 percent, you need to get connected.

Our Prepare in a Year program helps you get ready for disasters, like large-scale earthquakes that isolate us from outside help for weeks or longer. By tackling one simple task per month, you can get your household in good shape by the end of a year.

The task for December is to work on increasing the resilience of your neighborhood and community.