A whole of government approach to extreme weather in King County, Washington
Abstract
Extreme weather, exacerbated by climate change, causes significant health and infrastructure impacts nationally. In Washington State, the devastating 2021 heat dome, winter storms and increases in wildfire smoke have highlighted the inequitable impacts of extreme weather as well as the need for comprehensive resilience planning, ranging from near-term emergency management to long-range community and infrastructure planning. King County, in partnership with local communities, non-profit partners and multiple cities, has endeavoured to increase and diversify extreme weather planning and preparedness strategies related to emergency response, built environment, urban forestry, green spaces, multilingual outreach and building resilience in at-risk communities. To address these priorities, emergency management and climate preparedness staff led development of the King County Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy and the Extreme Weather Sheltering Strategy through multiple engagement efforts with King County jurisdictions, local partners and people most acutely feeling the effects of extreme weather events. These strategies, released in 2024, aim at tailoring response and planning efforts in the near term while increasing longer-term resilience. Both can be adapted nationally based on local priorities and challenges. The whole of government approach employed by King County aims to increase resilience, reduce silos and create better outcomes for vulnerable populations. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
Nathan Emory is the Extreme Weather Coordinator for the King County Office of Emergency Management. In this role he focuses on planning efforts around heat, cold and smoke as well as mass care response efforts. Having worked in emergency management for a decade, Nathan has been involved in multiple large incidents and events such as the Olympic Track and Field Team Trials, the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome and Hurricanes Florence and Irma. Nathan has a Bachelor’s degree in planning and environmental policy with an emphasis on natural hazards risk reduction from Western Washington University.
Daaniya Iyaz is the Climate Preparedness Project Manager in King County’s Executive Climate Office — her fourth role with the county. Her current role focuses primarily on supporting local communities in preparing for and responding to extreme heat, in addition to implementation of other climate preparedness actions in the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan. Her educational training, completed at the University of Washington, focused on the health impacts of extreme climate events. Daaniya has lived in King County for almost her entire life, and she is passionate about fostering climate adaptation strategies and resilience in local communities.
Citation
Emory, Nathan and Iyaz, Daaniya (2026, February 15). A whole of government approach to extreme weather in King County, Washington. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 19, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.69554/TBJM9449.
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