By Steven Schauer, Deputy Executive Director

The King County Flood Control District (KCFCD) is proud to announce that it has received first-place honors in the 2026 Excellence in Communications Awards presented by the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA). The award recognizes the KCFCD’s innovative and impactful 2025 Be Flood Ready brochure and flood preparedness outreach campaign, which helps residents understand flood risks and take action before flooding occurs.

This year’s competition was especially noteworthy, with more than 30 entries submitted from agencies across the country – the largest number of submissions in the history of the awards program. Against this strong field of competitors, the KCFCD was honored to be selected for the top award in the category focused on public awareness of flooding, flood prevention, and emergency preparedness. We also want to extend our gratitude to our partners at King County and Lund Faucett who helped with the redesign of the Be Flood Ready brochure.

A Modern Approach to Flood Preparedness

Flooding remains the most common and costly natural disaster in King County, making public education a critical part of reducing flood risk. In 2025, the KCFCD significantly expanded and modernized its Be Flood Ready campaign to make flood preparedness information more accessible, understandable, and actionable for residents.

The award-winning campaign included:

• A redesigned eight-page, full-color Be Flood Ready brochure featuring simplified messaging, new educational graphics, and practical preparedness guidance.
• Translation of materials into 24 languages to improve accessibility for King County’s diverse communities.
• New Be Flood Ready videos and digital content designed to reach residents through multiple communication channels.
• A new Community Navigators program, which partners with trusted community leaders to share culturally relevant preparedness information through in-person outreach.
• Integration with flood alerts, flood warning tools, and other digital resources to help residents take action before and during flood events.
• Targeted postcard outreach, including flood preparedness information for residents living along the Duwamish River who may experience King Tide-related flooding.

The campaign reached thousands of residents through direct engagement, community events, and mail distribution. More than 3,000 community members were engaged through in-person outreach, over 50 community events were conducted throughout King County, and nearly 23,000 households in or near floodplains received flood preparedness materials.

Moving Beyond Awareness to Action

NAFSMA recognized the KCFCD’s efforts not only because of the campaign’s broad reach, but also because of its focus on helping residents take meaningful preparedness actions. Community feedback showed that many residents gained a better understanding of their flood risk and were motivated to create emergency kits, develop family emergency plans, and sign up for flood alerts.

The campaign also supports King County’s participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System, which helps eligible residents receive discounts on flood insurance premiums while encouraging community-wide flood preparedness and resilience.

Perhaps most significantly, the redesigned Be Flood Ready campaign launched just months before the historic December 2025 flooding that impacted multiple river systems across King County. While no direct connection can be proven, the extensive outreach effort likely contributed to increased community awareness and readiness ahead of one of the county’s most significant flood events in recent history.

Looking Ahead

While the KCFCD is honored to receive national recognition, the work does not stop here.

This year, the KCFCD is taking additional steps to strengthen its flood preparedness outreach by updating and enhancing the flood resources available on its website. Planned improvements will better align online information with the Be Flood Ready campaign, making it easier for residents to find preparedness tools, access multilingual resources, and connect with flood warning information.

Additionally, we are exploring the expansion of the direct mail list, which reached nearly 23,000 households last year, to include addresses outside of, but near, the 100-year floodplain (or 1% annual chance floodplain). This is because those who reside near a mapped floodplain also have flood risk they should be aware of, even if they are not mapped into the regulatory floodplain. In addition to receiving the brochure via direct mail before flood season begins, the KCFCD is also sending a postcard to these addresses near the end of the flood season to continue to the ongoing flood preparedness messaging throughout the year. The KCFCD is also improving its ability to measure engagement to better understand how residents use flood preparedness direct mail resources.

Now Is the Time to Be Flood Ready

It may be July, and flood season may not be top of mind for many residents. But the next flood season begins on October 1, and experience shows that the best time to prepare is before storms arrive.

Taking a few simple steps today can make a significant difference when flooding occurs. You’re encouraged to take time before the floods arrive to understand your flood risk, obtain flood insurance, sign up for flood alerts, create an emergency plan, and assemble an emergency kit.

The KCFCD is grateful for this national recognition, but the true measure of success is a community that is informed, prepared, and resilient. As we plan for the next flood season, we encourage every resident to take time now to Be Flood Ready. After all, flood preparedness today helps protect lives, property, and communities tomorrow.