WSEMA Weekly Update – November 21, 2025

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WSEMA!

This week’s update is brought to you by COVID, sore-throat drops, and a medically questionable amount of matcha/turmeric + honey tea. COVID hit me like a surprise tabletop exercise no one signed up for, but I’m finally upright enough to send this out.

If things seem more dramatic than usual, that’s just the virus talking. And if you drove by my house this week, then yes, that was me, pale and tragic in the window like a Victorian child waiting for someone to return from sea. I’ve been wrapped in blankets like a decorative throw pillow that has completely given up on being decorative.

But I’m back, alive, and at least 62% functional.  

Let’s do this!

Association News

  • WSEMA Membership: In between my fever and tea, I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss that 2026 renewals are open. It keeps you connected, supported, and part of the statewide EM family. And unlike COVID, renewing is relatively painless.

Emergency Management in Washington

The person is an older adult with underlying health conditions and remains hospitalized. The affected person has a mixed backyard flock of domestic poultry at home that had exposure to wild birds. The domestic poultry or wild birds are the most likely source of virus exposure; however, public health investigation is ongoing.

Public health disease experts have not identified any increased risk to the public.  

  • WSDOT Blog: Paving Work: Washington State Department of Transportation explains how asphalt pavement projects are essential to road preservation and why they’re done during warm, dry summer months.
  • Thanksgiving Fire Safety Information: The NFPA says Thanksgiving sees more home-cooking fires than any other day of the year. Their advice is simple: stay attentive in the kitchen, keep flammables away from heat sources, and make sure you know how to respond safely if a cooking fire starts. And please, that is not the day to experiment with a new fusion recipe or something weird.
  • WA State Healthcare Situational Awareness Brief: Adult acute bed occupancy continues to increase for the second week in a row with data showing the fewest beds available since October. Adult and pediatric ICU and acute beds have been highly variable over the past week but overall, the numbers are similar to last week. Pediatric medical surgical bed availability is lower than it has been in several weeks. Adult ED visits are slightly higher this week with pediatric ED visits similar to last week. After increasing last week, boarder numbers have been highly variable by region. Hospitalized patients with FLU and RSV have increased slightly but remain low. COVID+ inpatients decreased this week. Pediatric COVID, Flu and RSV hospitalizations remain low. ARI, RSV, FLU, and COVID should continue to be monitored closely.
  • Have something you’d like me to feature?  Send it my way at president@wsema.org by 8:00 a.m. on Fridays. Trainings, news, shoutouts, or anything you think WSEMA should know about!

National EM Updates and Misc.

  • DHS Secretary Noem and FEMA Review Council Report: A draft report by the FEMA Review Council, initially over 160 pages, was slashed by Kristi Noem’s office down to roughly 20 pages, raising concerns among council members that key proposals on mitigation and local preparedness may be omitted.
  • Acting FEMA Chief Resigns: David Richardson, the acting head of FEMA, resigned after just six months on the job.
  • Feds Authorize Cybersecurity Funding: The House voted this week to reauthorize the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program for seven years, while also modifying the program.  
  • Water Infrastructure Needs: New research highlights needs in each state and the economic benefits from meeting them.
  • Homeland Security Today News
  • Supreme Court Information as of November 19: Highlights of what was happening with the Supreme Court this week.
  • Emotional Intelligence: I’ve been deep in some emotional intelligence reading because it is something I’m constantly trying to build, stretch, and strengthen. It’s one of those leadership skills that impacts everything from communication, conflict, trust, to how our teams feel. It’s a good reminder that self-awareness, empathy, and how we show up for people are skills we never actually “finish” learning. It’s a work in progress (isn’t everything?), but it’s work worth doing.
  • Did you know we almost went to war over a pig?: The Pig War (1859) was a bloodless border dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom on the San Juan Islands, when an American settler shot a pig belonging to a British rancher, nearly triggering military conflict in 1859.

Resources & Training

  • Webinar – Dec. 3 at 11 a.m.: King County is hosting a webinar titled “The Decker Girls Tragedy: How a Local Sheriff’s Office Handled the International Media Attention,” featuring Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison. This was a heartbreaking and tragic event, but the webinar offers an important opportunity to learn from the communication, response, and media-management challenges surrounding the case. Everyone is welcome to attend.
  • FIFA World Cup Grant Program: Washington State Emergency Management Division (EMD) shared new details on the 2026 FIFA World Cup Grant Program. The state will submit its application to FEMA by December 5, with the subrecipient application period expected to open in January 2026 for at least 30 days. Only projects with a direct safety and security nexus to the World Cup, and approved by the Seattle Host Committee, will be eligible. More guidance, webinars, office hours, and details on additional World Cup-related funding will be released in the coming weeks. POCs:
  • Have a training you’d like me to highlight? Send it to me! president@wsema.org