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Emergency Management Services of King County

These are the most common disasters that can strike in King County. Click to learn more about the affects of these hazards and what you can do to prepare and respond. Each section contains hazard-specific preparedness steps, response steps, and basic preparedness information along with related links leading to interesting and informative sites.

With effects such as an increased risk of drought and flooding, new diseases, and invasive species, Global Climate Change will impact emergency management planning for residents and governments here in King County. Visit King County Executive Ron Sims' Global Warming web page to learn what you can do to take action on climate change. Additionally, local government leaders have a new tool to help them plan for the impacts of climate change in the Global Warming Guidebook (external link to PDF).

Want to find out where natural hazards impact your community - check out the King County GIS Center's iMap system to get information on floodplains, liquefaction areas, earthquake faults, and more! 

  • Avalanches: An avalanche is a mass of loosened snow or ice that suddenly and swiftly slides down a mountain, often growing as it descends and collects additional material such as mud, rocks, trees and debris.
  • Dam Failures: There are 87 dams in King County that can impact flood-prone and other areas if they should fail. 
  • Droughts: Drought is a condition of climatic dryness which is severe enough to reduce soil moisture and water below the minimum necessary for sustaining plant, animal, and human life systems.
  • Earthquakes: An earthquake is a naturally induced shaking of the ground. Earthquakes are caused by the fracture and sliding of rock within the Earth's crust.
  • Fire: King County experiences three types of fire threats: structure fires, forest fires and wildland/urban interface fires.
  • Flooding: A flood is the inundation of normally dry land resulting from the rising and overflowing of a body of water.
  • Hazardous Materials Releases: Hazardous materials spills might cause the short or long-term evacuation of an area.
  • Landslides: The term landslide refers to the down-slope movement of masses of rock and soil.
  • Pandemic Flu: A world-wide epidemic involving the spread of a flu virus which human beings have been previously unexposed to.
  • Radiation Hazards: There are a number of potential causes of radiation hazards, such as an accident at a nuclear facility, nuclear detonation, or accident at a research or medical facility utilizing radiological materials.
  • Severe Storms: King County is subject to various local storms that affect the Pacific Northwest throughout the year, such as wind, snow, ice, and hail.
  • Terrorism:  Terrorism has been defined by the FBI as "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government; the civilian population; or any segment of it, in furtherance of political or social objectives."
  • Transportation Accidents: Transportation available in King County includes air, rail, water and road. All of these systems provide services on a national, regional and local basis. A major accident is possible on any of these modes of transportation.
  • Tsunamis/Seiches: Recent studies regarding the potential for a great Cascadia Subduction zone earthquake off the Washington, Oregon, and Northern California coastlines indicate the local tsunami waves may reach nearby coastal communities within minutes of the earthquake.
  • Utility Outages and Energy Shortages: King County's electricity infrastructure includes six hydroelectric plants, four coal-fired plants and six oil and natural gas-fired plants.
  • Volcanoes/Volcanic Eruptions: Both Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens are active volcanoes, whose potential eruption could be destructive to our residents, businesses, and infrastructure.

Other Hazards:


Project Impact LogoHow the Media Covers Emergencies and Disasters (27:46)
Northwest Warning, Alert and Response Network (25:10)
Emergency Alert System (31 seconds)

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  Updated: April 21, 2008