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Skagit County proclaims August 2025 National Emergency Management Awareness Month
Summary
The Skagit County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 11 approved a proclamation recognizing August 2025 as National Emergency Management Awareness Month, praising local emergency-management partnerships and urging continued preparedness and public education.
Skagit County’s Board of Commissioners on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, approved a proclamation designating August 2025 as National Emergency Management Awareness Month, citing the county’s planning, response and recovery work and urging residents to support preparedness efforts.
The proclamation, moved, seconded and approved 2-0, notes that emergency management is a multi-jurisdictional system involving federal, state and local governments, special districts, response partners and volunteers. It commends local emergency managers for planning, securing grants and supporting long-term recovery work.
Chief De La Sala of Skagit County Emergency Management introduced the proclamation and thanked partner agencies in the room. Commissioners and officials said recent major events — including the county’s COVID response and declared disasters from flooding and wind — have underscored the need for coordinated preparedness and recovery capacity. Commissioner Browning praised local leadership and training efforts, calling for continued public education. A commissioner also observed that recovery can be substantially longer than the initial event and expressed concern about the availability of federal recovery funds, noting some public-works projects still await FEMA reimbursement for events more than two years old.
Sheriff McDermott, other county staff and volunteers were acknowledged during remarks for their roles in emergency response. Speakers noted benefits that followed the pandemic response, including reconstituting a medical reserve corps and building temporary testing infrastructure as examples of community resilience.
The Board’s proclamation states local emergency managers are charged with “establishing and maintaining the capabilities necessary to effectively direct, coordinate, and support emergency and disaster response and recovery efforts countywide.” The resolution encourages residents to recognize and support emergency managers and their partners.
The motion to approve the proclamation carried by voice vote, recorded as 2 to 0 in favor. The commissioners recessed to take up the consent agenda at 1:30 p.m.
