The Washington Disaster Resiliency work group, created out of SSB 5106 (leg.wa.gov), is tasked with providing a recommendation by Dec. 1, 2020 to legislators and the governor on whether the state needs a permanent disaster resiliency program.
Find important information about meetings, deadlines, and assignments for the work group here.
Washington Disaster Resiliency work group assignments
The Washington Disaster Resiliency work group will submit information, links and documents using the work group's secure form:
Members of the public are invited to submit information related to assignments for the work group through the secure public submission form:
The Washington Disaster Resiliency work group has been giving the following assignments:
Submission period: July 15 - Aug. 23
- Assignment #1: What are the disaster resilience activities your entity is currently doing in Washington state?
- Assignment #2: Submit a summary of your entity's roles and responsibilities in disaster mitigation and recovery activities. Who must you coordinate with? What are your current barriers from fully realizing your long term resiliency plans?
- Review period: Aug. 24 - Sept. 4
Submission period: Sept. 6 - Oct. 11
- Assignment #3: Please submit important efforts the work group should review regarding disaster resiliency activities in other states.
- Additional assignment: What other states have as an ongoing state resiliency program and how do they function? This assignment will be completed in collaboration by the Emergency Management Division and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. A report will be provided to the work group.
- Review period: Oct. 12 - Oct. 29
Submission period: Oct. 31 - Nov. 29
- Assignment #4: What types of activities should an ongoing state resiliency program engage in?
- Review period: Nov. 30 - Dec. 15
Submission: Dec. 17 - May 7
- Assignment #5: What types of coordination should ongoing state resiliency programs engage in with state agencies and other entities?
- Review period: May 8 - May 20
Submission: May 22 - June 5
- Assignment #6: Where should an ongoing resiliency program be housed?
- Review period: June 8 - June 11
Submission: June 15 - July 22
- Assignment #7: What types of funding should an ongoing resiliency program have?
- Review period: July 23 - July 29
Washington Disaster Resiliency work group meetings
Sept. 5, 2019
- Time: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Location: Capitol Event Center, 6005 Tyee Drive SW, Tumwater, WA 98512
- Confirmed speakers: Lieutenant Russel L. Honoré, USA, Retired, Corina Forson, Dr. Amy Snover, Brian Lynn, Jeff Marti, Gary Bahr, George Geissler, and Dan Stonington
- View documents and links associated with this work group meeting
Oct. 30, 2019
- Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Location: Capitol Event Center, 6005 Tyee Drive SW, Tumwater, WA 98512
- Confirmed speakers: Robert Freitag, Director of University of Washington's Institute for Hazards Mitigation (mitigate.be.uw.edu); topic is "What is a resilient community?"
- View documents and links associated with the work group meeting
Dec. 16, 2019
- Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Location: Capitol Event Center, 6005 Tyee Drive SW, Tumwater, WA 98512
- Confirmed speakers: Tristan Allen, Department of Commerce; Kevin Zerbe, Emergency Management Division and Travis Linares-Hengen, Emergency Management Division; topic is "How should a resiliency program coordinate with public and private entities?"
- Special participants: Mike Harryman, Oregon State Chief Resilience Officer; John Schelling, FEMA; Travis Ball, US Army Corps of Engineers; Brian Warren, Microsoft; Carlene Anders, Mayor of Pateros, WA; Cathe Guptill, Red Cross; Derrick Hiebert, King County
- View documents and links associated with the work group meeting
Jan. 2020 to April 2020
- Legislative session break
May 21, 2020
- Time: 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Location: Zoom, Meeting ID 929 9918 1652.
- Confirmed speakers: Michael Gaffney (ruckelshauscenter.wsu.edu), Acting Director of WSU Extension; topic is "What authority level should a resiliency program have and where should it be housed?"
- View documents and links associated with the work group meeting
June 12, 2020
- Time: 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Location: Zoom, Meeting ID 985 3353 0341.
- Discussion: Where should a resiliency program be housed?
- View documents and links associated with the work group meeting
July 30, 2020
- Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Location: Zoom
- Confirmed Speakers: Cindy Zehnder, Vice-President, Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs
- View documents and links associated with the work group meeting
Aug. 28, 2020
- Time: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
- Location: Zoom
- Confirmed Speakers: Dr. Nicole Errett, University of Washington, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
- Work group will deliberate recommendations.
- View documents and links associated with the work group meeting