Perry, Dunn applaud committee approval of storm recovery proposal

December 4, 2024

A King County Council committee on Wednesday approved a proposal to help King County residents recover from the devastating impacts of last month’s bomb cyclone storm that hit the Eastside and south King County especially hard.

Cosponsored by Councilmembers Sarah Perry, Reagan Dunn and Claudia Balducci, the legislation – approved unanimously at the Committee of the Whole on Wednesday – aims to expedite and waive fees for permits needed to help rebuild after the significant storm damage, waive dump fees for cleanup efforts, and provide grant funds to help residents cover costs of living incurred due to storm impacts, including hotel costs, debris cleanup and more. The proposal also calls for an assessment of the response to determine how King County can better prepare for such a storm in the future.

“County residents continue to live through traumatic impacts to their lives from this storm, including homes that have major damage and the costs of enduring days without power,” Perry said. “This legislation is key to helping these people get back on their feet as quickly and with as few lasting impacts as possible. I am grateful to Councilmembers Dunn and Balducci for joining me in bringing this legislation and to the rest of the Council for coming together quickly to move this legislation forward.”

The violent Nov. 19 storm left more than half a million people without power at the peak, with some not regaining power for more than a week, and devastated homes, particularly in the Cascade foothills, where winds were recorded gusting to as much as 74 mph.

“People on the Eastside of King County bore the brunt of impacts from this storm, and those impacts literally hit home for many of our residents – not just in power outages, but in being put out of their homes and facing immense costs and effort to put those homes back together,” Dunn said. “I think this is a good first step in providing some short-term relief for people who were hurt by the storm while also looking ahead and planning for the next time one of these storms hits us. These challenges can move around the county affecting different places at different times, and we all have to stick together as one King County.”

With committee approval, the proposal will go before the full council next week at its Dec. 10 meeting.