To help islanders prepare for emergencies and disasters, VashonBePrepared will offer a free five-hour informational forum on Saturday, Jan. 26.

The forum, similar to those held in recent years, will include a variety of information about staying safe and comfortable — even if that means camping out in a home’s backyard — if ferry service is cut off for more than a few days or homes are damaged from an earthquake or windstorm.

Speakers will cover a wide range of topics, including a fire department official discussing fire safety and prevention at home and a representative from Puget Sound Energy on electrical safety and detecting problems with natural gas. Community Emergency Response Team leader Jan Milligan and Emergency Operations Center manager Rick Wallace will discuss traditional information on being prepared, such as stocking up on food, water and medications. They will also address how the island might operate after a disaster, including how communications would work and how food and shelter would be provided.

“There are no easy answers to these questions, but that is why VashonBePrepared exists — to chart out something in advance, so the island is not faking it when disaster strikes,” Milligan said.

To register for the free forum, email Milligan at cert@vashonbeprepared.org.

The event will meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a short lunch break, Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Land Trust Building.