Marin County wants residents to take five steps this month to get ready for a potentially rough winter.
The county's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) launched "Get Ready with Marin" on Tuesday, Sept. 1, a new campaign that asks residents to tackle one preparedness action each week through September. The campaign comes as forecasters anticipate El Niño conditions could bring heavier rain and flooding to the region this fall and winter.
The Board of Supervisors plans to formally proclaim September as National Emergency Preparedness Month at its Tuesday, Sept. 8 meeting. That meeting starts at 9 a.m. in the Board chamber, Suite 330, at the Marin County Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael.
Five weekly steps
The campaign lays out a checklist:
- Sign up for AlertMarin, the county's emergency notification system
- Make an emergency plan for your household
- Pack a go bag with medications, extra clothes and water in case of evacuation
- Build a stay box of supplies for sheltering at home
- Connect with your neighbors to coordinate during emergencies
The campaign runs through September.
About 72,000 people are registered for AlertMarin, covering roughly 48% of Marin County households, Patch reported in August. The system won Best Emergency Preparedness Service in the Pacific Sun's 2026 Best of Marin awards.
New AlertMarin features
The county moved AlertMarin to a new platform in April 2025. The upgrade added a fully Spanish-language sign-up experience, the ability to choose a preferred language for alerts and automated text-to-speech for notifications in English and Spanish.
New notification groups let subscribers get updates on significant weather, coastal flooding and King Tides, prescribed burns, and creek flooding. Those alerts cover situations that may not qualify as full emergencies but still affect daily life.
"Don't wait for the first atmospheric river to think about your disaster readiness," OEM Director Steven Torrence said in an Aug. 14 county release on El Niño planning. "We can't predict how this winter will unfold, but we can prepare for the wide range of possibilities."
What's ahead
OEM plans community events throughout September and into the fall, including a Canal Preparedness Day, Corte Madera Preparedness Day and the Marin Senior Fair. The county also plans town halls focused on El Niño awareness and severe weather.
Earlier in 2026, the county approved an updated Emergency Operations Plan with two new annexes outlining how local government, first responders and community partners coordinate during disasters.
Residents can follow the campaign on ReadyMarin's social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Nextdoor. Board meetings are livestreamed on the county website and aired on Channel 27 for Comcast and AT&T U-Verse subscribers.
