04/17/2026
We’ve heard some questions about our hailstorm earlier this week, and why no emergency alert was sent out, so we wanted to take a moment to explain.
At Suquamish Tribe Emergency Management, we use different tools to share information depending on the situation. Social media updates are used to keep the community informed and to share preparedness information, while emergency alerts are reserved for immediate threats to life and safety.
This week's hailstorm, while unexpected and intense for a short period of time, did not meet the level needed to send out an emergency alert. Emergency alerts are used when people need to take immediate action, such as evacuating an area, sheltering in place due to an immediate threat, or responding to a serious and rapidly developing situation.
It’s important that we don’t send alerts for every situation. If alerts were used too often, phones would be going off all the time, and over time people may start to ignore them or shut them off completely. Emergency alerts are meant for the moments when seconds matter and when your attention is critical.
For information about getting you and your family prepared, please follow - https://suquamish.nsn.us/home/departments/office-of-emergency-management/emergency-preparedness/
To sign up for emergency alerting, please go to - https://www.kitsapdem.com/programs/kitsapalert/ . To follow emergency weather, please go to - https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-122.552&lat=47.728
Thank you for your readiness to sign up for emergency notifications from KitsapAlert! KCDEM encourages everyone who lives or works in Kitsap County to sign up for KitsapALERT and to invite friends and neighbors to do so as well. This Community Warning System (CWS)