With winter storms buffeting Del Norte County, residents are gathering their emergency materials and preparing for possible power outages. But they need look no further than the upgraded Prepare Del Norte website for emergency tips and preparations. Del Norte County’s Office of Emergency Services launched its updated website Oct. 17, the same day as the Great ShakeOut. The agency’s previous website was not user-friendly, did not offer as many details and was a bit outdated, according to Emergency Services Manager Kymmie Scott. #placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');The website’s design now makes looking through the site more intuitive, with sections dedicated to volunteer opportunities, emergency preparedness and information on natural disasters, said Scott. It also has a tab labeled “Find Information,” which Scott believes is essential for empowering the community to educate itself on emergency preparedness. “I’m just really excited to get the… section filled out better,” Scott said. “We focus a lot on tsunamis, but there are a lot of different things that affect us.” Emergency Services had begun the framework for the improved website, but paused the process during Scott’s hiring. In late June, she picked up the project and put it into motion with the county’s information technology department. Now, Scott and the IT department manage the website through Wix.com, a website building platform, where previously they contracted with a web designer to maintain the old site. This way, they can update the website faster and save the funds used to hire a web designer for other community projects, she said. The key feature of the new site is a bright red button on the top right corner encouraging people to join the community alert system. With the system, they can send community-wide or targeted notifications in emergencies. Scott said she is happy with the improvements, but the website is still a work in progress. She encourages people to give their feedback on the website so she can make informed edits. Visit www.preparedelnorte.com/ to see the enhanced website. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });