Plans for evacuating up to 30,000 residents of the Green River Valley are complete, with work well under way on plans for sheltering up to 5,000 evacuees for several weeks at a time, according to officials from King County agencies who briefed the Metropolitan King County Council’s Committee of the Whole Monday.
The committee has been holding hearings on preparations for the potential flood threat from the federally owned and operated Howard Hanson Dam.
Heather Kelly, program manager for the King County Office of Emergency Management, said up to 30,000 residents of the Green River Valley could be displaced by flooding, with up to 10 to 20 percent of those needing sheltering.
She said local cities in the potential flood path have said they can currently shelter only about 100 people, so the county’s focus is on establishing what she called “mega-shelters” that can house up to 5,000 evacuees for extended periods of time.
Among the regional facilities Kelly said the county has contacted are the Qwest Field Event Center, Tacoma Dome, Washington State Convention Center, and Port of Seattle’s Cruise Passenger Terminal.
Kelly said the county is working with the Red Cross to establish and staff two mega-shelters and five smaller shelters. She said the county is also seeking to establish shelters for people with medical needs, people who need to stay close to their homes because of livestock or pets, and those who need sheltering but cannot go to a medical or Red Cross shelter.
“The consistent message we hear from flood experts is that collaboration is the key to successful flood preparations,” said council member Bob Ferguson, chair of the Committee of the Whole. “It was encouraging to hear today that effective communication and cooperation is happening here in King County as we prepare for potential Green River flooding.”
“The scenario of King County residents with nowhere to go – or worse, no way to get there is unacceptable. Evacuation and shelter planning will prevent thousands of valley citizens from being stranded,” said council member Reagan Dunn. “I applaud and encourage King County agencies to continue this important flood preparation work.”
Kelly said experience has shown that shelters need to be more than “a place for people to put their heads, where they have a dry, warm bed.” She said the county is preparing for shelters to be open for a minimum of two weeks, during which time the function of the shelters shift.
“They need to be places where you can find out about transportation and school schedules, even find out about getting mail,” said Kelly. “After that, we need them to become ‘Disaster Recovery Centers,’ the location you go to when you need information on recovery services.”
Road signs designating evacuation routes from the potential flood zone are being fabricated now and could be ready for installation by the end of the month, according to Harold Taniguchi, Director of the King County Department of Transportation. He said the County has worked with local cities to identify about 13 potential evacuation routes along 40 miles of roads in unincorporated King County. The cities of Tukwila, Kent, Auburn and Renton have developed their own evacuation plans and the County is working cooperatively with each of them, as well as with the state.
At least 10 of the 33 Metro Transit routes that pass through the potential flood zone would have to be suspended if there is flooding, said Taniguchi, but their goal is to keep as many buses running as road conditions permit. He said Metro is working with Sound Transit to carry passengers who would normally ride the Sounder commuter train if that service is disrupted by flooding, and coordinating with local jurisdictions to assist 441 local ACCESS bus users who would need transportation.
“Flooding in the Green River Valley could dramatically hinder mobility across the region,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson. “Highway 167 carries more cars every day than the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and if it’s closed due to flooding the traffic that is diverted could gridlock major transportation corridors like I-5 and I-405.”
To alert residents of unincorporated King County in the upper and middle Green River Valley to the potential threat, letters are being hand-delivered by Sheriff’s deputies working with local fire officials.
