Since early 2018, King County has led a regional effort to develop an Inclusive Emergency Communications Plan for serving Limited English Proficient (LEP) residents. In 2022, partners across King County reviewed and updated the plan, to include people with other language access needs, such as people who are deaf, deaf-blind, and blind. The plan's framework includes procedures, templates, and available resources that can be accessed and adapted to meet the public messaging needs of individual jurisdictions and their unique communities.

A multi-stakeholder workgroup of county, city, and public health representatives is committed to building upon existing community relationships, leveraging best practices, and addressing known gaps as we carry out the plan during local emergencies. Strategies for achieving success include engaging community leaders - our Trusted Partner Network - to learn the best way to share information with their population groups, as well as maintaining standardized procedures for using available services.

Public alert and notification systems

ALERT King County - regional public information and notification service managed by King County Emergency Management to help people stay informed via text, email, and voice message about potential hazards and threats that impact their area.

AlertSeattle - emergency notification system used by the City of Seattle to communicate with city residents during emergencies via text message, email, voice message, or social media.

Community Communication Network (CCN) - a partnership between Public Health-Seattle & King County, community-based organizations, and community leaders to ensure essential health-related information reaches vulnerable residents during emergencies.

Resources for jurisdictions and partner organizations

Jurisdictional toolkit for developing local plans that complement the County's plan

Population languages spoken by city: Data to reference in local plans

Hazard-specific emergency public messages and translations (Excel spreadsheet) - King County Emergency Management (part of IEC plan) 
Note: These messages are posted here for authorized emergency responders to access when sending official emergency alerts and notifications. They are not to be repurposed for any other publication, website, or other public communications.

Hazard-specific preparedness information and translations - Washington Department of Health

Translation tips: A guide for emergency managers and public information officers

Free icons/graphics for public messaging products (give credit to artists when using them)

PowerPoint presentation for engaging communities in conversations about RCW 38.52.070