General Preparedness

There are many ways to take action and prepare before an emergency occurs. Here are some of the most important ways to help yourself, your family, and your community increase your preparedness. Simple actions at home and in your neighborhood can make a big difference!

1. Stay Informed by signing up for Alert King County 
2. Create a Family Plan.
   • Know the hazard in your area King County Hazards
   • Write down your Family Emergency Plan.
3. Build a Kit using the following supply lists as a guide:
   • Basic Emergency Kit – Home
   • Basic Emergency Kit - Vehicle
   • Basic Emergency Kit - Pets
4. Get Involved with Community Preparedness & Carnation Duvall Citizen Corps Volunteer Opportunities

Additional Resources:

• Prepare in a Year Guide
• Red Cross Website
• FEMA Website
• King County Emergency Management Website

Tolt Dam Information

The City of Seattle owns and operates the Tolt Reservoir and Dam, located 16 miles upstream from Carnation on the South Fork Tolt River. In the unlikely event of a dam failure, water from the reservoir may inundate the City of Carnation. The City has a 20-acre pedestrian evacuation site in Tolt Highlands.

First and foremost: Don't wait - EVACUATE!

1. Have a family plan to include:
   1. Where you will meet if you cannot get home.
   2. Out-of-area contact person for all family members to call, confirming you are okay and what your plans are.
   3. Grab-and-go backpacks for family members with food, water, necessary medications, and copies of important family records.
   4. Include a plan for your pets.
2. Know the fastest Evacuation Route from where you live and/or work.
3. The Tolt Dam Evacuation Walking Route Map and the In-City Evacuation Map will provide more information on evacuation locations. These maps are intended to provide general guidance in the event of an emergency. Actual evacuation routes may vary depending on the specific circumstances. Assess your surroundings and use your best judgment to determine the safest evacuation path and always follow the instructions of on-site emergency personnel.
4. Plan to WALK OUT – Automobile accidents create huge bottlenecks. You will be able to get out faster if you walk. One evacuation trail starts at the east end of NE 50th St, and the other begins on E Entwistle St going up Tolt Highlands Rd. The routes to these trails are marked by pedestrian evacuation signs. The evacuation site is for pedestrian access only, no vehicles. For vehicular evacuation, follow the route signs north on SR 203 to Stillwater Hill Rd.
5. Do not go to the school for your children—they will already be on their way up the hill. The schools have an evacuation plan. Check with the Riverview School District for detailed information on where you can expect to reunite with your children.
6. Keep Moving - Whether walking or driving, don’t stop, keep moving – People behind you need to get up the hill, too.

Earthquake Information

King County is located in an area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, a distinctive zone marked by the prevalence of earthquake and volcanic activity. Washington State is framed by the Pacific, North American, and Juan de Fuca plates, which are segments of the Earth's crust. King County also has numerous fault lines, cracks in the crust, that are active and expected to create large magnitude earthquakes. On an annual basis, thousands of minor earthquakes happen in the greater Puget Sound. Most of these earthquakes go unnoticed.

During the earthquake:

1. KEEP YOUR SELF SAFE FIRST - You will not be available to assist family members/friends/others after the quake if you do not keep yourself safe.
2. IF INSIDE, when the quake occurs:
   1. Drop! Cover! Hold! Crouch under a desk or table, away from windows or glass, or sit against an inside wall, protect your head and neck.
   2. Keep others inside and away from windows and falling objects (if possible).
   3. DO NOT leave the building. Many injuries and fatalities occur when people attempt to leave building during a quake.
3. IF OUTSIDE, when the quake occurs: stand away from building, trees, telephone poles, and electric lines.
4. IF ON THE ROAD, when the quake occurs: Drive away from underpasses/overpasses; stop in a safe area, stay in the vehicle.
5. After the earthquake, check for injury to yourself & others while reassuring and calming children/others. Stay tuned to radio or television. Check all utilities to make sure they are functioning properly and check building for structural damage.
6. Check for safety hazards — check for gas, water, sewer breaks, downed electric lines and shorts; turn off appropriate utilities and equipment such as gas, electricity, water, computers etc. check for building damage and potential safety problems during aftershocks, such as cracks in walls or foundations.
7. For large quakes that last more than one minutes, consider evacuation to high ground.

Flood Information:

The Tolt and Snoqualmie Rivers experience seasonal flooding in the City of Carnation. The NOAA National Weather Service Northwest River Forecast Center specializes in flood and water resource forecasting, river modeling, and hydrologic system development. Daily flood forecasts are made using observations of temperature and precipitation.

• Tolt River Observation & Forecast
• Snoqualmie River Observation & Forecast

• Get Alerts by e-mail and/or phone (voice or text messages)
• Select the rivers that affect you
• Select the flood phase levels of interest to you.

Click HERE to visit the City's flood page.

Asbestos Information

There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. Because of this health threat, it is highly recommended that flood-damaged asbestos-containing material be repaired, enclosed, encapsulated, or safely removed. Click HERE for information on what to do following a natural disaster.

People need to be aware of mesothelioma symptoms, especially after a disaster, and seek medical assistance if they experience them.

Weather Information

Severe weather includes a variety of weather patterns that may negatively impact citizens and/or infrastructure in the City. These storms are usually characterized by strong winds frequently combined with rain, snow, sleet, hail, ice, thunder, and lightning. Visit PSE | Outage Map and Restoration Times view Puget Sound Energy outages in the area and related information.

1. A windstorm or other severe Weather Watch means that conditions are favorable for such storms and that certain established procedures must be implemented.
2. A severe Weather Warning means a storm has been forecast and/or sighted and severe weather is rapidly approaching, and the IMMEDIATE ACTION must be taken.
   1. Go inside to a safe location.
   2. Pull draperies to protect against any broken glass.
   3. Move away from windows and provide blankets for head protection against broken glass.
   4. If threatening severe weather (wind, tornado, etc.) is imminent, move to hallways or into interior bathroom areas.
   5. Stay away from large glass areas such as the family/dining room or front entrances.
   6. If there is no time to move to protected areas, lie flat on the floor, face down if possible.
   7. When/where possible, maintain close observation of weather conditions.
   8. Use beds, bed covers, or mattress as protection against flying glass and debris where applicable.
   9. Follow procedures to turn off gas and other utilities if time permits.
3. What to do During a Winter Storm:
   1. Listen to the radio for updates on the weather conditions and instructions from local emergency managers.
   2. Ensure family members are kept warm; utilize extra blankets to cover small children. Conserve heat by moving into common areas, such as family rooms. The more who are in the room, the easier it will be to maintain the heat.  Insure adequate ventilation for alternate sources of heat. NEVER use outdoor cooking type or Barbecue grills inside for a heat source.
   3. Ensure all stay indoors. In case of ice, be aware of possible falling limbs from trees. Put ice melt on walkways/driveways.
   4. Know the terms used to forecast winter weather conditions.

Click the link to view the City's Snowplowing Map.

Click the link to view King County's Winter Weather Web Page.