Ozaukee County Emergency Management

09/01/2026

📝 WEEK 1: MAKE A PLAN

Would everyone in your household know what to do if you could not return home, became separated, or temporarily lost cellular service?

A household emergency plan should answer:

📍 Where will we meet if our home is unsafe?
📞 Who will be our out-of-area contact?
🏫 How will we reconnect if family members are at work or school?
🚗 What evacuation routes could we use?
🐾 How will we care for or evacuate our pets?
💊 Does anyone need medications, medical equipment, transportation, or additional assistance?

Write down the plan, share it with everyone in your household, and practice it. Children should know the names and phone numbers of trusted adults and when to call 911.

Creating a plan now can reduce confusion when every minute matters.

Start your plan:
https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/make-a-plan/
https://www.ready.gov/plan

Make a plan today! Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find. Step 1: Meet wi...

08/31/2026

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

Disasters and emergencies can happen anywhere—including here in Ozaukee County. Severe storms, flooding, winter weather, power outages, hazardous-material incidents, fires, and other emergencies may disrupt daily life with little warning.

The 2026 National Preparedness Month theme is “Americans Stand Ready.” Preparedness is not about expecting the worst. It is about giving yourself, your family, and your community the best opportunity to safely manage an emergency.

Throughout September, Ozaukee County Emergency Management will share practical steps you can take to:

✅ Know the hazards in your community
✅ Make and practice an emergency plan
✅ Receive emergency alerts and warnings
✅ Build or update an emergency supply kit
✅ Help neighbors who may need assistance

Preparedness starts with one small step. What will yours be?

Learn more:
https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/
https://www.ready.gov/september

National Preparedness Month 2026 Theme Announced

08/30/2026

🎣 CHOOSING A BOAT FOR LAKE MICHIGAN FISHING

Lake Michigan fishing often takes boaters several miles from shore, where weather changes and mechanical problems can become serious emergencies.

A fishing boat used on Lake Michigan should have:

✅ A hull and power system suited for open-water operation
✅ Adequate freeboard and stability
✅ Enough capacity for passengers, fuel and fishing equipment
✅ Reliable bilge pumps and battery systems
✅ A marine VHF radio—not only a cellphone
✅ Navigation equipment and a compass
✅ Visual and audible distress signals
✅ An anchor with sufficient line
✅ A properly fitted life jacket for everyone aboard
✅ A way to reboard the boat after a person falls overboard

Never overload the boat with people, coolers or fishing equipment. Keep heavy gear low and evenly distributed, and do not allow passengers to sit on gunwales, seatbacks or other unsafe locations.

Before leaving, check the nearshore and open-lake forecasts. Conditions near the harbor may be very different from conditions several miles offshore.

The fish will still be there another day. Make decisions that ensure you will be too.

08/29/2026

⚠️ WHAT DOES A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MEAN?

A Small Craft Advisory is issued by the National Weather Service when winds, waves or other marine conditions may be hazardous to smaller vessels.

For the central Great Lakes, advisory conditions generally involve sustained winds or frequent gusts of 22 to 33 knots—approximately 25 to 38 mph—and/or waves greater than four feet.

The term “small craft” does not describe one specific boat length. Whether your vessel should be considered a small craft depends on:

• Boat size and design
• Hull type and seaworthiness
• Loading and freeboard
• Operator experience
• Distance from shore or safe harbor
• Direction, height and spacing of the waves

A Small Craft Advisory is not a legal prohibition against boating. It is an official warning that conditions may be dangerous. For many recreational boats and operators, the safest response is to remain in port or return to harbor before conditions worsen.

Always consider your boat’s limitations—and your own.

Learn more: https://www.weather.gov/marine/cwd

Some coastal stations may display flags, pennants and colored lights to warn mariners of hazardous conditions. Here is what the signals mean. Below the signals are definitions of watches, warnings and advisories.

08/28/2026

08/28/2026

Prepared. Responsive. Resilient.

🏛️ As Emergency Management Awareness Month comes to a close, remember:

Preparedness isn't just about disasters.

It's about protecting our families, supporting our neighbors, strengthening our communities, and ensuring we're ready when emergencies happen.

Thank you for joining us this month. We encourage everyone to continue learning, planning, and preparing throughout the year.

Visit these trusted preparedness resources:
🇺🇸 https://www.ready.gov
🧀 https://readywisconsin.wi.gov

Together, we can build a safer and more resilient community.

Prepare for emergencies with ReadyWisconsin. Find resources, alerts, and tips for disaster planning and weather safety across Wisconsin.

08/27/2026

⚖️ KNOW THE LIFE-JACKET REQUIREMENTS

Lake Michigan boaters are subject to Wisconsin requirements and applicable federal boating regulations.

Wisconsin DNR guidance includes these requirements:

• Every vessel—including canoes, kayaks and paddleboards—must carry at least one U.S. Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket for each person aboard.

• Life jackets must be properly sized, serviceable and readily accessible.

• Vessels 16 feet or longer must carry an approved throwable flotation device that is immediately accessible.

• Everyone operating or riding on a personal watercraft must wear an approved life jacket.

• Federal law requires children under age 13 to wear an approved life jacket while underway in an open vessel on federally controlled waters, including Lake Michigan, unless they are below deck or inside an enclosed cabin.

These are minimum legal requirements. The safest practice is for everyone—adults and children—to wear a properly fitted life jacket whenever the vessel is underway.

Requirements can vary based on vessel size, propulsion, operation and location. Review both Wisconsin and federal requirements before launching.

Wisconsin DNR information:
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/Topic/Boat/LifeJackets

Federal boating guide:
https://uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Boaters-Guide-to-Federal-Requirements-for-Receational-Boats-20231108.pdf

08/27/2026

🚤 IS YOUR BOAT APPROPRIATE FOR LAKE MICHIGAN?

There is no single boat length that is automatically “safe” for Lake Michigan. A boat’s design, condition, loading and capabilities—as well as the operator’s experience and the weather—determine whether it is appropriate for a particular trip.

For recreational boating on Lake Michigan, look for:

• A hull designed to handle waves and rougher open water
• Adequate freeboard to help keep water out of the boat
• A secure bow and protected passenger area
• Reliable bilge pumping or drainage systems
• Sufficient fuel, including a safe reserve
• Proper flotation, capacity and loading
• A dependable engine and properly maintained electrical system
• Marine communications and emergency signaling equipment
• An anchor and adequate line for expected water depths

Small open boats, pontoons, paddlecraft and personal watercraft may be suitable during favorable conditions and close to shore—but their operating limits can be reached quickly when winds and waves increase.

Match the boat, operator and trip to the conditions. When in doubt, stay in port.

08/26/2026

Thank You

As Emergency Management Awareness Month comes to a close, we'd like to thank everyone who helps keep our communities safe.

Thank you to:
🚒 Firefighters
🚑 EMS
🚓 Law Enforcement
📞 Dispatchers
🚜 Public Works
🏥 Public Health
⚡ Utility Workers
❤️ Volunteers
🏛️ Local Officials
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 And every resident who takes preparedness seriously.

Emergency Management isn't just about responding to disasters—it's about building resilient communities before disasters happen.

Prepared. Responsive. Resilient. Together.

08/26/2026

🛟 A LIFE JACKET CANNOT HELP IF YOU ARE NOT WEARING IT

Having a personal flotation device aboard meets part of the legal requirement. Wearing it provides the protection.

Ozaukee County Emergency Management recommends that everyone wear a properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket whenever a boat is underway on Lake Michigan—especially:

• Children
• Nonswimmers and weak swimmers
• Anyone in a small or open boat
• People using kayaks, canoes or paddleboards
• Personal watercraft operators and passengers
• Anyone boating alone
• Anyone on deck during rough weather
• Boaters operating in cold water

Check each life jacket before use. It should be:

✅ Approved for the intended activity
✅ The correct size for the wearer
✅ Snug when properly fastened
✅ Free from tears, mildew or waterlogging
✅ Readily accessible—not buried under equipment

Inflatable life jackets require regular inspection and maintenance. They may also have age and activity restrictions, so always follow the label.

An emergency rarely provides enough time to locate and put on a life jacket. Wear it from the time you leave the dock until you return.