County forms ideas to help with flooding
March 17, 2009
By Michael Rowe
Stockpiling sandbags, better interagency coordination, better public notifications, and speeding up disaster cleanups are changes that King County wants to make to better deal with emergencies like the January floods.
The King County Council approved legislation that attempts to better aid communities during floods and other emergencies on March 9. The legislation is partly in response to comments made by citizens at a committee of the whole meeting of the County Council in Carnation in February.
“In every disaster, we all continue to learn, and this event with its record water levels presented some new challenges. The Town Hall provided an opportunity for those most affected by the storm in the rural area to share their experiences with most members of the King County Council,” said King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, in a March 9 press release.
Snoqualmie was too busy dealing with the emergency to notice the county’s response, said Emergency Management Director and Fire Chief Bob Rowe. He is unsure if the county’s new legislation will help the city in future floods, but he does feel that the relationship between Snoqualmie and the county is important for responding to and recovering from disasters.
Along with other emergency management directors in the county, Rowe regularly attends meetings in Renton to discuss ways to learn about what other cities and the county are doing to prepare for emergencies. He said that the regular meetings with his counterparts were important to fostering partnerships.
“Planning prior to an event is the most helpful,” Rowe said.
He said that the city’s relationship with the county was good. He credited them with getting roads closed when they became impassable and noted that, when the county could not make it out in time to close roads, that the city was able to put up barricades for them.
“It is important for all council members to learn about what worked and what can be improved from our flood survivors – the experts. We were able to translate the many suggestions into action items in a very short period of time. This is a model example of democracy in action, which will make us better prepared for the next disaster,” Lambert said.
One of the ordinances adopted by the King County Council is to stockpile sandbags at locations in each watershed. The plan is to make the sandbags available to the public during floods.
Snoqualmie used its own sandbags during the flood. When the city ran out, it received extra sandbags from neighbors in North Bend, Rowe said. He does not anticipate using the county sandbags during the next flood event.
Another item of legislation directs the county executive to organize discussions between local, county, state and federal agencies responsible for flood protection and response. The measure is designed to improve coordination and communication of actions to reduce the severity of flooding.
“Communication and coordination are always essential in an emergency,” Rowe said.
Other measures adopted by the county include improving public notification and speeding cleanup responses. The Water and Land Resources Division is directed to study ways to improve the public notification process to provide residents in flood areas early warning of imminent flooding.
The County Council also called on the executive to review county, state and federal regulations for rules that create barriers to prompt removal of flood debris that present dangers to public safety and the environment.
The County Council hopes that the new legislation, along with the work being done by the King County Flood Control Zone District, will protect communities and reduce the impacts of flooding.
“As a board member of the King County Flood Control District, I am very glad we had the first of our 10 years of projects and protections completed,” said Councilwoman Lambert in the council’s press release. “In many areas of the county, they would have had more damage without these improvements. I look forward to implementing more of the flood control plan each year to help reduce our risks.”
Lambert also thanked those that offered their support to help cities and residents after the flood event.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of help from emergency response agencies, volunteers and neighbors during this devastating flood,” Lambert said.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434, ext. 248.
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