Stockpiled sandbags, better communication and faster cleanup top County Council’s response to future floods

March 9, 2009

Summary

Citizen comments at Town Halls help shape new County policy

Story

In the wake of winter storms that are still being felt as the region prepares for spring, the Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously adopted a series of measures designed to improve the County’s response to future flooding.

“The major flood event of January taught us some hard lessons,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn, prime sponsor of the proposals. “Although King County did some things right, we discovered weaknesses in our response that this legislation works to address. I am confident the adoption of these measures will help us serve citizens better during future floods.”

The proposals, the culmination of citizen comments presented at meetings held by Dunn in his district and a special County Council Town Hall meeting in the city of Carnation hosted by Councilmember Kathy Lambert, came in the wake of the worst flooding King County has seen in close to a generation. A series of winter storms, exacerbated by heavy snowmelt, caused the highest water levels and rate of flows ever recorded for the Snoqualmie, Tolt and Cedar Rivers. Dunn and Councilmember Larry Phillips viewed the impact of the storms during visits along the Cedar River at the Cedar Grove Mobile Home Park and Royal Arch Park in Maple Valley. Phillips and Lambert also made visits to locations along the Snoqualmie. Two months after the storms, individuals and communities are still recovering from the damage.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of help from emergency response agencies, volunteers and neighbors during this devastating flood,” said Lambert. “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. It is important for all Councilmembers 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.”

“When flooding strikes, the last thing citizens should have to deal with is red tape,” said Councilmember Phillips, who co-sponsored the proposals. “This legislation provides common sense measures to speed up relief to citizens, and help people get back on their feet quickly after the floods have passed.”

The legislation adopted by the Council focuses on improving protection in flood-prone areas through better citizen notification and access to sandbags, creating better communication between agencies responsible for flood response, and reducing barriers faced by flood victims when trying to repair flood damage:

Stockpiling of sandbags: The Council adopted an ordinance directing the County’s Water and Land Resources Division to stockpile sand and sandbags at multiple locations in each major watershed in King County to be made available free of charge to the public, and to inform the public about the stockpiles.

Interagency coordination: The Council directs the County Executive to organize discussions between local, county, state and federal agencies responsible for flood protection and response, to improve coordination and communication of actions that can help reduce the severity of flooding.

Public notification: The Water and Land Resources Division is directed to study ways to improve its public notification process, to provide residents in flood prone areas with earlier warning of imminent flooding.

Speeding the cleanup: The Council called on the Executive to review county, state and federal regulations for rules that may create barriers to the prompt removal of flood debris that can present a danger to public safety, health and the environment, and can pose a continued flood risk.

The legislation, along with the work being done by the King County Flood Control Zone District, is focused on protecting communities as well as reducing the impact of floods when they occur.

“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 Councilmember Lambert. “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.”


Read the legislation:
2009-0111
2009-0112
2009-0113
2009-0114