KPLU Local News
(2009-09-11)
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County Executive Kurt Triplett announces emergency flooding declaration with Councilmembers Dow Constantine and Julia Patterson.
KPLU
King County is declaring a flood emergency in the Green River valley -- even though no flood is imminent. The unprecedented action is meant to speed up preparations for a dangerous situation this winter.
Kurt Triplett, the interim King County Executive, says businesses and individuals should be making contingency plans. "We're working with the cities, Red Cross, and others, to reach out to over 30,000 people and businesses in the valley, and unincorporated area below the dam, to tell them to get ready for the possible flood," he says.
Those cities include Renton, Auburn, Kent and Tukwila, and businesses such as Boeing and Puget Sound Energy. Power and gas lines are a major concern, because if the Green River levees are breached by even a small amount, it may force Puget Sound Energy to shut off power and gas to large areas of the valley, with only a few hours notice.
The levees could be threatened because the Howard Hanson Dam on the Green River was damaged last winter. More than 800 people packed an auditorium in Auburn on Wednesday night to learn about the situation.
By declaring an emergency before any disaster actually happens, King County can streamline the process to buy things like diesel generators, rent extra office space and repair levees. The county is also hoping to get federal government to reimburse some of those costs.
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