January 18, 2018
Trouble using Google products with your NetID for the Virtual Emergency Operations Center??
THIS IS FOR THE VIRTUAL EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER ONLY UW Emergency Management will sometimes utilize Google products to serve our community. This includes: Google Forms, Google Sites, Google Docs and Sheets, etc. Whether or not you are familiar with using Google products of any kind, it should be easy for anyone with a NetID to…
January 8, 2018
Back to the Basics: ERC Charter OPEN for Public Comment
The UW’s Emergency Readiness Committee (ERC) is soliciting public comments from the UW community on its very first formal charter — the governing document that describes for the format, structure, mission, and general procedures on how our committee works. While the ERC (and the previous EMPC) has been meeting bi-monthly since 2005, we never had…
BARC Month 1: Collect key information about your organization
You know your organization. You know your work. The first step in business continuity planning is taking what you know, and getting it recorded in case you are not around when the plan is activated. For this section we will capture the mission of your organization, base details (the who, what, when, where, why and…
One Year to Husky Ready
When I started in my role as Business, Academic, and Research Continuity (BARC) Program Manager in September, I immediately familiarized myself with our Husky Ready tool, and began the process of sitting down with department stakeholders across the enterprise to find out what they thought of the tool and continuity planning overall. What I heard time and again:…
December 20, 2017
Real-Time Snow Removal Information
Tis the season! While Seattle is not known for getting much snow – it does happen, and it does affect what goes on around here! Did you know that Facilities Services maintains two online maps featuring snow accumulation and snow removal during such weather events? Check them out! Snow Removal: Roads & Snow Removal: Sidewalks…
December 11, 2017
Great UW ShakeOut 2017: Recap
As 2017 comes to a close, the UW Emergency Management team has been reflecting on some of our biggest events of the past year. The 2017 Great UW ShakeOut was a huge success, for example! While not required in order to participate, UWEM asked that our friends across the university register internally with us so…
November 28, 2017
Seattle Traffic + Winter Weather = ???
Let’s talk winter weather preparedness! Winter is a prime time for car accidents, with darker commutes and wet or icy road conditions. Add the notorious Seattle traffic problem in the mix, and well, are you prepared to be stuck in your car for hours on end? While having some type of emergency car-kit is always…
Meet Megan: UWEM’s New BARC Program Manager
We are excited to welcome UW Emergency Management’s newest staff member, Megan Levy. Megan joined our team at the end of September to manage our Business, Academic and Research Continuity (BARC) program. Megan joins us after time at Microsoft and the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region. She is a Washington alum, having received her master’s in…
UWEM leading effort to build Virtual Operations Support Team (VOST) for Washington State
UW Emergency Management is fortunate to be one of the partners leading the way for a Washington State Virtual Operations Support Team also known as a VOST. Members of a VOST are a diverse mix of professional emergency managers, technologists, communications specialists, and volunteers that share a passion for harnessing technology for the greater good. …
September 28, 2017
Winter Weather Outlook for Western Washington (2017-18)
Following a mild and short-lived La Niña last winter, the climatic phenomenon known as “La Niña” stands a 55-60 percent chance of developing once again this fall and winter. That’s the most recent forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center. Based on observations of what’s happening in the Pacific Ocean, and modeling…