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Pictured left to right – Jonathon Holmes, Chalice Dew-Johnson, John Gargett, Alysha Kaplan, Frances Burkhart, Wallace Kost
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management was presented a Certificate of Appreciation July 31st, 2019 for the support provided to the State of Washington and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Joint Field Office Recovery Operations in Whatcom County.
In presenting the award, Jonathan Holmes and Alysha Kaplan of the Washington State Emergency Management Division expressed how the underlying partnership between Whatcom County, the State and FEMA has made a difference in recovery efforts over the last four Presidential Declarations.
According to Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo, “When the citizens and communities of Whatcom County have suffered from the impacts of disasters that resulted in Presidential Declarations, both the State of Washington and FEMA have worked hand-in-hand with our Division of Emergency Management to ensure recovery is as seamless as possible for our community.“
For the last two Presidential Declarations, the field operations have been located in the Whatcom Unified Emergency Coordination Center, a partnership between Whatcom County, the Port of Bellingham and the City of Bellingham.