In the wake of the storms that devastated communities throughout the region last winter, the Metropolitan King County Council on June 4 unanimously approved a plan outlining ways King County can better prepare for future emergencies.

“More than 200 citizens attended the Council’s February 5 Town Hall meeting in West Seattle to discuss how King County and other local jurisdictions can better prepare for future emergencies,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, the prime sponsor of the motion. “We have incorporated many of the suggestions from that meeting into a five-point plan to help update King County’s emergency management system.

“In addition to those who spoke at Town Hall meetings, we received phone calls, letters and e-mails from hundreds of residents who were affected by the flooding and windstorm damage,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, who represents hard-hit Northeast King County. “The scale of these storms was unprecedented, and District 3, which covers 1,043 square miles, still is recovering from the affects of the storms. But we learned much from the experiences and used citizen suggestions to compile this work plan for improving King County’s response and coordination efforts. I appreciate the participation and collaboration that went into this effort. We also shared these lessons learned with King County’s cities, the governor and the state Utilities and Transportation Commission, so that we all can work together at improving responses. This plan is just one step toward preparing to survive a large-scale disaster, and it serves as a good opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of personal preparedness.”

“It is extremely important for King County to have a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan that is equally effective and accessible to all, especially our most vulnerable populations, at a time when the definition of an emergency is ever-increasing,” said Council Chair Larry Gossett.

The plan calls for five separate reports to be drafted. Each will be compiled by the Executive and submitted to the Council by October 1—before consideration of the 2008 King County budget.

This legislation would:

• Create a coordinated shelter plan;
• Update King County’s emergency communications plan;
• Create a traffic management plan and identify key intersections;
• Better integrate human service providers, non-profit organizations and businesses into emergency planning, and
• Identify King County residents who may need special help during a crisis.

“We encourage citizens to plan ahead for emergencies, so it’s important that King County set an example by keeping our own emergency preparation up-to-date and air tight,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips. “This update is an opportunity to incorporate our lessons learned from the recent wind and snow storms to ensure we’re ready to weather any disaster.”

“The winter storms revealed holes in our emergency response plan that resulted in lack of shelter and heat, and the subsequent and tragic carbon monoxide deaths that stretched our public health outreach efforts to their limits,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson, who also serves as Board of Health Chair. “Protecting our vulnerable populations from the hardships of winter storms is imperative in emergency planning and is highlighted in the five-point plan for emergency preparedness.”

“When disaster strikes, citizens expect their government to be flexible and responsive to the individuals who are directly affected,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson. “Close coordination between different agencies, the private sector, and individual citizens is the key to an effective response. We listened to the citizens who were affected by the winter storm and this legislation responds to their call for better coordination between human service providers, businesses and government, while acknowledging the need for a coordinated shelter plan and traffic management plan to ensure that we are better prepared to handle the next disaster.”

“I have seen first-hand the devastation wrought in my district and in the region by last December’s windstorm," said Councilmember Reagan Dunn, whose district includes the rural communities of Southeast King County. “This plan will help to increase emergency response time and coordinate aid efforts to those in need during a disaster. The windstorm could be just a small taste of what we face in the future from further natural disasters or even an act of terrorism.”

“It is important that we work now while the sun is shining and all is well, so that we can be better prepared for future emergencies,” said Constantine.

King County residents can learn about ways they can better prepare for emergencies by visiting www.metrokc.gov/prepare and www.govlink.org/3days3ways.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system.
Type in “2007-0270”