Dave Halloran from San Juan County Department of Emergency Management shares this notice with you… Good morning, in the news today is a volcanic eruption near the Tonga Islands. The Tsunami Warning center (tsunami.gov) has issued an Advisory for the outer coast of WA and the coast along the Strait of Juan De Fuca. The  Continue Reading

Editor’s Note, Jan. 2, 2022 – We may not be out of the woods just yet – see this message from Duncan Wilson on San Juan Islander. (Friday Harbor, WA) – December 31, 2021 – The San Juan Island Library District was notified by the Town of a major leak at the former Life Care  Continue Reading

Here’s a letter to you from SJI Fire & Rescue… San Juan Island Fire and Rescue (SJIF&R) remains committed to continuous improvement in our service to our islands’ communities to ensure professional, quality, and compassionate emergency response and service. Why does SJIF&R respond to medical calls? First: SJIF&R’s guiding principle is do what is right  Continue Reading

To Town Water Customers: The recent cold snap has caused pipes to freeze in houses and buildings that have never had that issue before.  Due to increased water usage, we know there are more leaks in the system.  We ask everyone to check their houses, inside and out, to make sure they don’t have burst  Continue Reading

Steve Roberts shot this photo on First Street last night. It sure is a thing of beauty, but if you don’t need to go out, consider staying home. Now’s a good time to binge on Netflix or read that book you keep putting off. Also a good time to avoid giving EMS and the ER  Continue Reading

In the Mailbag today we have this letter from Nathan Butler, Superintendent and EMS Administrator… We have seen the recent letter from Fire Chief Norvin Collins regarding our agency and merger talks. He badly misrepresented our agency, and his letter is an object lesson in why we have opted not to try again at merging  Continue Reading

Snow is currently in the forecast for this weekend. If you would like to learn more about how the County prioritizes and responds to snow events on County Roads please visit Map Gallery | San Juan County, WA see where you can view our priority maps and plans for snow removal. Please remember, winter weather  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag today we find this letter from Norvin Collins… As the year comes to a close, your San Juan Island Fire and Rescue (SJIF&R) responders and I wished to take a moment to reflect where we are today and what the future holds. There are three points to address that are  Continue Reading

UPDATE – Killebrew Lake Road on Orcas Island is now open. Public Works completed their assessment Thursday morning and have determined that the road is safe to open. Laporte Road remains closed just past the intersection with John Jones Road.

A blocked culvert has created a dangerous situation on Laporte Road on Orcas Island. A large amount of water has built up on the uphill side of the road, and the roadway is in danger of failure, in particular with more rain in the forecast. The closure is on Laporte Road, just up from the  Continue Reading

On November 2, 2021, residents voted for San Juan Island EMS to remain under the jurisdiction of San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1. The District will seek to renew its San Juan Island EMS levy in the upcoming February 8, 2022, election. Currently, San Juan Island EMS is at the end of a  Continue Reading

The following was shared with you by Northwest Workforce Council… The Department of Social and Health Services has activated the Disaster Cash Assistance Program, or DCAP, to serve people affected by severe weather events. Households impacted by floods, landslides, mudslides and other hazardous events in the 14 counties included in Governor Inslee’s November 15, 2021,  Continue Reading

The massive rain event last week caused a wide range of impacts in the county and caught many islanders off-guard. The severe weather was caused by an atmospheric river: a long, narrow band of water vapor that often is released as rain or snow when it makes landfall. While the scope and damage may be  Continue Reading

On November 10th, 2021, San Juan Island Emergency Medical Services celebrated the addition of a new ambulance to their fleet by hosting a push-in ceremony. Members of the public, press, and Hospital District Board were invited to assist EMS employees and volunteers in a traditional “push-in” ceremony and celebrate the benefits the new ambulance will  Continue Reading

This is from the SJC Dept. of Emergency Management… Things are looking good for a potential opening tomorrow (Tuesday – knock on wood). Public Works is awaiting delivery of barriers for the road edge that are due to arrive on the 5:30am ferry on Tuesday from Anacortes. Once those are placed and final site work  Continue Reading

San Juan County, WA, USA. – The recently updated Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections (PDF – Nov. 2021) provided by Friends of the San Juans shows that at least a 25% increase in large, ocean-going commercial vessel traffic could occur if all of the proposed new and expanding terminal and refinery projects are permitted and  Continue Reading