Presidential declaration of disaster issued for flood event in King County
Executive Ron Sims is pleased to inform citizens of King County that President Barack Obama has declared a federal disaster for the January severe winter storm incident that impacted King County.

22nd Annual King County Employees Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration
Good afternoon. We are here to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who struggled tirelessly to ensure equity and social justice for all people regardless of race, gender, class or sexual orientation. He lived prophetically and it is in his spirit that I speak to you today.

Death of inmate in custody
An inmate, Daphney Justice, female, 51, in the custody of the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention died Wednesday, January 14, 2009, at Harborview Medical Center at 01:35 PM. Justice was booked into the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) on September 26, 2008, and was transferred to Harborview on January 7, 2009, where she remained for one week until her death.

Community comes together to celebrate legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
More than 600 people packed the Paramount Theatre in Seattle today to celebrate the accomplishments of men in women in this region who share Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of "Breaking Barriers," the theme of King County's 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.

Death of inmate in custody
An inmate, Daphney Justice, female, 51, in the custody of the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention died Wednesday, January 14, 2009, at Harborview Medical Center at 01:35 PM. Justice was booked into the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) on September 26, 2008, and was transferred to Harborview on January 7, 2009, where she remained for one week until her death.

$36 million awarded countywide to create affordable and supportive housing projects
Creating affordable housing opportunities for hundreds of individuals and families in need, King County Executive Ron Sims today announced $36 million in grants and loans to fund affordable housing and permanent supportive housing development across the county.

Deep bored tunnel to replace Alaskan Way Viaduct
Gov. Chris Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and Port of Seattle Chief Executive Officer Tay Yoshitani today announced their agreement to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep bored tunnel under downtown Seattle. The plan also includes investment in improved bus service, east-west city streets, a new seawall, relocated utilities, and an upgraded waterfront.

Sims, County Council develop plan to ease disposal of flood-damaged items, debris

King County crews make progress opening and repairing flood-damage roads and levees
As water recedes and river levels drop around the region, King County Road Services Division crews continue making progress repairing and cleaning up county roads hard hit by flood waters. Crews are also making progress on emergency repairs to damaged levees along the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers.

King County responds to urgent needs of Pacific flood victims in first steps of recovery
Residents of Pacific greeted King County crews with open arms Sunday as they arrived to assist with clean up in the hardest hit area of the city.

King County staff and volunteers pull out the stops to help Pacific flood victims clean up
At the direction of King County Executive Ron Sims, the county's Emergency Management office is managing an extraordinary effort to help the people of Pacific today as they clean up from last week's devastating flood. Emergency Management managers are coordinating the efforts of King County crews and equipment as well as a team of volunteers. King County Solid Waste trucks and King County Airport dump trucks are in Pacific where as many as 50 are expected to help residents clean and dispose of damaged belongings.

Damage assessment and debris removal begin as flooding recedes
King County Office of Emergency Management is now collecting information about damages from the January 2009 floods.

Emergency repairs under way to flood-damaged levees
King County is mobilizing today to make emergency repairs to levees and other flood-prevention structures that were damaged by this week's record flooding. King County Executive Ron Sims is again heading out to affected communities to speak with elected local leaders and meet with residents whose lives have been affected by floods.

King County Executive will meet today with flood victims as record river flows recede
King County Executive Ron Sims will travel to Snoqualmie and Pacific this afternoon to meet with city leaders and residents as river waters recede, and the amount of damage becomes more clear. The difficult clean up effort is underway for people in flooded communities as they are able to get back to their homes.

Historic flows, significant road and structure damage visible as King County Executive tours flood damaged communities
County Executive Ron Sims spent most of Friday viewing East King County flood damage where all rivers had historic flows of rain and melted snow and the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers hit the highest level in history. The Executive visited the Red Cross regional center in Renton and spoke with people who evacuated their homes as well as residents whose homes were spared from flooding.

Record flows on Tolt River near Carnation, possible severe damage to two levees
Record water flows on rivers across the region are causing significant flooding, including possible damage to two levees along the Tolt River near the City of Carnation. Flood waters are also causing significant road damage across King County.

Incident management team dispatched to City of Pacific to assist in emergency response coordination
A specialized incident management team is on scene at the City of Pacific tonight, in response to a request from that community for help dealing with widespread flooding.

Flooding cuts off residents in East King County
Levees across King County are holding the significant flows that have hit the region over the past 48 hours, although King County Flood Crews have not been able to reach the levee in Maple Valley to assess its condition.

Devastating floods hit King County in Jan 2009
County crews clearing mudslides, Public Health providing mutual aid

King County Executive signs emergency proclamation
In response to record river flows, flooding, land slides and other damage from severe weather, King County Executive Ron Sims this morning signed a Local Proclamation of Emergency to help county staff continue their quick response to damage.