It really has been five years.

In March 2020, the COVID epidemic was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Vashon schools sent kids home. Vashon unemployment quickly reached 22%, and four out of ten Vashon businesses reported going dark or trying to stay afloat with little or no income.

There was no testing available on the island, and a vaccine was months away. Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert activated VashonBePrepared’s Emergency Operations Center.

Vashon went to work.

Hundreds of volunteers turned out to assist VashonBePrepared organizations including its Emergency Operations Center, Medical Reserve Corps, Community Care Team, Voice of Vashon, and Community Emergency Response Team.

Community social service organizations, including the Senior Center, Food Bank, Vashon Youth & Family Services, and Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness, among many others, also jumped in to help.

A community fundraising drive established an initial relief fund of $325,000 that was later supplemented by $413,000 of pandemic funding reimbursements from King County, the State of Washington, and FEMA.

Volunteer resources and relief fund dollars went for food delivered to homes, rent support, costs of testing and vaccination, and business recovery.

In 2023, a peer-reviewed study (tinyurl.com/VashonCOVIDstudy) showed the island’s COVID case rate was just 30% of the infection level on the mainland and less than 40% of that predicted from our demographics in 2020 and 2021. Sadly, however, eight Vashon residents died from COVID, according to data provided by Public Health – Seattle & King County.

The study attributed the island’s relatively low COVID rate to robust public health education on how to be COVID-safe, coupled with volunteer-operated testing, contact tracing, and vaccination programs.

VashonBePrepared and its coalition member groups continue to apply lessons learned from the pandemic activation to make ongoing strategic improvements to community preparedness.

Preparing for a water emergency

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) volunteers met this month with major water providers on the island at a monthly drill night. The goal: taking the island’s emergency planning for water to the next level.

A key activity of the drill night session was information sharing between the EOC staff and the water providers, including levels of water usage, existing water provider plans, and water distribution. Next steps: sharing detailed information at future meetings on the specific emergency plans with each of the seven major water providers.

The session was the first on emergency water planning since the pandemic tapped out all available EOC resources during the response to the COVID emergency.

The first step for islanders to prepare for a water emergency: Be ready at home, because it could be several weeks before substantial mainland help reaches Vashon following a disaster.

Yet most people could last only three or four days without precious water, depending on a person’s age, activity level, and some other conditions, such as extremely hot weather. Water would be a priority, even more vital than food, since most healthy adults can survive three or more weeks without food. Everyone should store three weeks of emergency water at home and know how to purify water if they run out.

Get a rundown on home emergency water preparedness from two issues of VashonBePrepared’s newsletter that ran last year as part of its “Prepare in a Year” series.

• Storing water: conta.cc/3vvoY3f

• Storing and purifying water: conta.cc/3JdqYA6

Copies of the booklet which describe all aspects of home emergency preparedness are available at the Vashon Island Fire & Rescue office. The booklet is also downloadable at tinyurl.com/PrepareYearGuide.

A Spanish version can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/PrepareYearEspanol.

COVID booster reminder

Are you 65 or older? Are you immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk from COVID? If so, the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps recommends getting a second COVID vaccine this spring.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a spring booster for those at risk when the current COVID vaccine was approved. The most recent published data for this winter showed COVID vaccines provided 45% additional protection against hospitalizations for those 65 and older. Learn more at tinyurl.com/COVIDvaxWorking.

Because protection conferred by the vaccine wanes after about four months, the best time to get a second COVID booster will depend on your personal situation. Right now, COVID infection rates are low and declining in our area, so for most folks, waiting a month or even two may make sense.

But if you are planning to travel soon to an area with more COVID or are likely to be exposed to large numbers of people in your work (or play), now may be a good time for your booster.

VashonBePrepared and its Medical Reserve Corps will be keeping an eye on King County wastewater COVID levels and emergency room case data, and we’ll keep you posted in future newsletters. Remember, it takes about two weeks after vaccination for enhanced immunity to kick in, so plan ahead.

You can obtain a COVID booster at all the usual vaccination sources, including Vashon Pharmacy and your usual healthcare provider or clinic.

EOC planners Allen de Steiguer (standing) and Marijke van Heeswijk (seated, right) walked through the Mass Care Section’s planning framework for organizing water distribution on the island during a severe, extended disaster. (Courtesy photo)