Youth-Led Community Preparedness Initiative
How prepared is our community?
We use community research, practical education, and local partnerships to help families prepare, before emergencies happen.
- Rooted in
- Washington State
- Data privacy
- Anonymous
- Approach
- Evidence-based
Why this matters
Preparedness isn't built during emergencies.
It's built beforehand, through informed families, connected neighbors, and resilient communities. The quiet work of a Tuesday afternoon can make a difficult day more manageable.
Prepared Together exists to listen to our community, learn from trusted experts, and turn those insights into practical resources that help families feel more ready and less alone.
Preparedness doesn't have to be overwhelming. Small steps taken today can make a big difference tomorrow.
Our Approach
A quiet, repeating loop.
We're building a slow, steady practice, one that gets better the more the community shapes it.
- 01
Research
Anonymous community study to understand where families stand today.
- 02
Learn
Learn from emergency professionals, community leaders, and lived experiences.
- 03
Educate
Translate expertise into clear, family-friendly resources.
- 04
Community Action
Partner with schools, libraries, and neighborhoods.
- 05
Measure
Track what's changing through follow-up study waves.
- 06
Improve
Refine materials based on what our community tells us.
Current Project
Community Preparedness Study, 2026
Prepared Together is launching an anonymous study to better understand how ready households in our community feel, and where new educational resources could have the greatest impact.
- Takes roughly 6–8 minutes to complete
- Fully anonymous, no personal information collected
- Findings shared openly with the community
Community Dashboard
What our neighborhood is telling us.
Aggregate results from the community study, updated as more households respond. All data is voluntary and anonymous.
- Responses Collected
- –
- Preparedness Confidence
- –
- Households with a Communication Plan
- –
- Emergency Kit Readiness
- –
Pilot launches 2026
Self-reported score
Of respondents
Of respondents
Featured Resources
Start with the essentials.
Emergency Kit Checklist
A practical starting point for your household kit.
Read moreFamily Communication Plan
How to stay in touch if phones or power go out.
Read moreEarthquake Preparedness
Simple steps that meaningfully reduce risk at home.
Read morePower Outages
Staying warm, fed, and informed when the grid goes down.
Read moreWildfire Smoke
Protecting indoor air on smoky Pacific Northwest days.
Read morePreparedness for Pets
Kits, plans, and comfort items for the animals we love.
Read morePreparedness for Older Adults
Considerations for medications, mobility, and check-ins.
Read moreNeighborhood Check-in Guide
How to build a two-block community you can rely on.
Read more
What We're Learning
An open research journal.
The study has not launched yet. For now we publish the questions we plan to investigate, not findings.
Question We're Exploring #1
Do families have supplies, but not a plan?
One of the questions the 2026 Community Preparedness Study will explore is whether households with a kit also have an agreed-upon communication plan.
Question We're Exploring #2
Would neighbors know who nearby needs help?
The 2026 study will ask how willing residents are to check on a neighbor, and whether they know who might need it.
Question We're Exploring #3
Which hazards feel closest to home?
The 2026 study will explore which scenarios, from wildfire smoke to winter storms, families feel most personally exposed to.
Community Voices
Learning from the people who show up.
Future interviews with local experts will share honest, practical perspectives on what makes a community more ready.
- Emergency Managers
- Firefighters
- CERT Volunteers
- Teachers
- Librarians
- Red Cross Volunteers
Interviews and profiles will be published as they're recorded. If you'd like to be featured, we'd love to hear from you.
About Maia
The mission comes first.
Hi, I'm Maia.
I'm a high school student in Washington and a Teen CERT graduate through WANIC. During Teen CERT, I realized that preparedness isn't only about responding to emergencies. It's also about helping families prepare long before they happen.
That question stayed with me:
How prepared is our community?
Prepared Together grew from that question.
My goal isn't to replace expert guidance, but to learn from emergency professionals and help make preparedness more accessible within our community.
Get involved
A more prepared community starts with a conversation.
Whether you'd like to take the study, share a resource, invite us to a workshop, or explore a partnership, we'd love to hear from you.