Drafter
Clerk 02/26/2009
Title
A MOTION relating to the notification of residents in flood-prone areas about imminent flooding and directing the executive to provide a report outlining the current county notification process and requesting improvements.
Body
WHEREAS, King County has experienced numerous destructive flooding events over the past several decades, causing significant damage to homes and properties, and
WHEREAS, the king county water and land resources division is the agency relied upon by county residents to assist them during flood events, and
WHEREAS, the flood event of January 2009 exposed inadequacies in the provision of timely notice about imminent flooding to residents in flood-prone areas, with especially devastating results for residents along portions of the Cedar River and in the city of Pacific, and
WHEREAS, an effort to improve notice about imminent flooding benefits both residents and the county by reducing the chance of flood damage and danger to residents;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The water and land resources division shall:
A. Review its current process for providing timely notice of imminent flooding to residents in flood-prone areas; and
B. Provide a report to the council detailing the current process and proposed improvements to the process by May 31, 2009, with the goal of developing the ability to contact every resident living in a flood-prone area before an impending flood event.
The report must be filed in the form of eleven copies with the clerk of the council,
who shall retain the original and will forward copies to each councilmember and to the committee coordinator of the physical environment committee.