Emergency response

December 2025 flooding event

FPHS funding enabled Public Health to strengthen community preparedness and to quickly respond and support recovery efforts during the historic flooding event in Western Washington in December 2025. We worked with community media and community members to disseminate critical health and safety guidance in multiple languages and formats, shared information with healthcare partners, and provided technical assistance related to environmental health hazards. Because of FPHS funding, we were able to focus our resources in the areas of greatest need – providing vital information and coordination services to communities hit the hardest by this disaster.

Climate preparedness

With the funds we received from FPHS investment in Public Health, we dedicated 3/4 of a staff member's time to planning for climate-driven hazards, such as extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, and severe winter weather. This has allowed us to provide educational materials and essential resources, including air filtration systems, to community members. We have also developed public health recommendations and health advisories for extreme weather events, supporting more-consistent, health-protective. In the long term, this increased capacity should help better protect King County communities from the impacts of climate change.