Bomb cyclone recovery, assessment proposal clears key committee, heads to full council for final vote

December 4, 2024

With King County residents still digging out and facing extensive repairs after the recent bomb cyclone storm that decimated the region, particularly the Eastside and south King County, the King County Council’s Committee of the Whole on Wednesday held an urgent special meeting to hear from key agency partners and leaders and to take immediate action on legislation to help those residents get their homes and lives back together, as well as to develop a plan for future storm and recovery next steps.

“Many King County residents woke up to extensive damage to their homes, faced days of power outages, and dramatic damages to property and disruption to daily life,” said King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, who cosponsored the legislation and brought key amendments. “We have the power to play a part in helping our friends and neighbors get their lives back together after this unprecedented storm, and this proposal is one way we can exercise that power. I thank my colleagues for supporting it at committee and look forward to its speedy passage at full council next week.”

The proposal, cosponsored by Balducci, alongside prime sponsor Councilmember Sarah Perry and co-sponsor Councilmember Reagan Dunn, asks the Executive to explore expediting permits for storm-related damage repairs, waive permit fees for repairs related to storm damage, set recommendations for a recovery grant program, waive fees for disposal of storm waste, identify technical support and additional storm recovery resources, and develop an after-action report and recommendations for how King County can become more storm resilient in the future.

“I would like to thank Mayor Kelly from the City of Maple Valley, as well as representatives from the King County Fire Chiefs Association, Puget Sound Energy, Comcast, Tanner Electric Cooperative, and the King County Office of Emergency Management for sharing their experiences and observations from the storm at today’s committee meeting,” Balducci said. “Their experiences will directly feed into the work ahead for King County to prepare to be even more resilient in the face of future storms and disasters.”

The proposal will go to full council next week, Tuesday, Dec. 10, for final approval.