State shores up King County Flood Control District funding
May 10, 2011
King County leaders praised state legislators and Gov. Chris Gregoire last week for supporting a measure to shore up funding for the King County Flood Control District, the agency responsible for flood-protection policies, programs and projects.
Gregoire signed a measure May 5 to protect funding for the district. The bill exempts the district from the statewide property rate tax cap by protecting up to 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The exemption is in effect from next year until 2017.
Until the governor signed the measure, the district faced a steep drop-off in funding due to the decline in housing values and a state cap on property tax rates.
“We worked together as a region to preserve this important tool that will protect people and businesses throughout King County from floods,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement. “I am pleased to see the overwhelming support in the state Legislature for this bill, and I thank Gov. Gregoire for signing it today.”
The district collects 11 cents per $1,000 in assessed value and uses the dollars to fund flood-control efforts.
State shores up funding for King County Flood Control District
May 6, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. May 6, 2011
King County leaders praised state legislators and Gov. Chris Gregoire for supporting a measure to shore up funding for the King County Flood Control District, the agency responsible for flood-protection policies, programs and projects.
Gregoire signed a measure Thursday to protect funding for the district. The bill exempts the district from the statewide property rate tax cap by protecting up to 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The exemption is in effect from next year until 2017.
Until the governor signed the measure, the district faced a steep drop-off in funding due to the decline in housing values and a state cap on property tax rates.
Citizens help others prepare for disasters
April 5, 2011
In Issaquah, a city of more than 30,000 people, only a handful of the population has completed the most rigorous training to respond to disasters.
The unfolding disaster in Japan — caused after a magnitude-9 earthquake rocked the island nation early last month — renewed attention on emergency preparedness on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
Even in a city as focused on preparedness as Issaquah, some gaps remain in the system.
The city has spearheaded lessons in Map Your Neighborhood — a program to coordinate disaster recovery on a block-by-block basis and identify special skills, such as medical training, among residents — for dozens of neighborhoods, although less then 300 people had completed the more rigorous program, Community Emergency Response Team training, by mid-March.
City and independent emergency planners said the numbers belie the effect of trained responders, especially as CERT members start to educate family members and neighbors in disaster preparedness and response.
Red Cross reminds people in flood-prone areas to prepare
March 30, 2011
NEW — 3 p.m. March 30, 2011
The strong storm system rolling across Western Washington prompted the local American Red Cross chapter to prepare for potential flooding.
“The forecast for the next few days include a flood watch for local rivers with heavy rainfall so people should be aware of the possibility of urban flooding,” Susan Pelaez, director of preparedness and community engagement for the organization, said in a release. “Drivers should use caution when out on the road.”
Meteorologists issued a flood watch for East King County and much of Western Washington through Friday.
Under a flood watch, favorable conditions for flooding exist, but flooding is not imminent or occurring. National Weather Service meteorologists said resident should monitor forecasts and prepare to act quickly if a flood warning is issued.
Meteorologists issue flood watch for Wednesday through Friday
March 29, 2011
NEW — 11:30 a.m. March 29, 2011
Meteorologists issued a flood watch for East King County and much of Western Washington from Wednesday afternoon through Friday, as a strong storm system rolls in from the Pacific Ocean.
Under a flood watch, favorable conditions for flooding exist, but flooding is not imminent or occurring. National Weather Service meteorologists said resident should monitor forecasts and prepare to act quickly if a flood warning is issued.
Forecasters expect the strong Pacific storm to bring heavy rain to the region in the coming days. The increased rainfall could cause increased flows in Issaquah Creek and other waterways.
Meteorologists said a storm band is expected to stall over the area for 24 to 48 hours and dump heavy rain. In the meantime, the freezing level is expected to rise to 7,000 to 9,000 during the same period.
Preparedness is message for National Flood Safety Awareness Week
March 15, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. March 15, 2011
Flooding is a coast to coast threat in the United States year-round — including in Issaquah.
So, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-sponsored National Flood Safety Awareness Week through Friday.
FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy said National Flood Safety Awareness Week is intended to highlight flood-related hazards, and what to do to preserve life and property.
“Flooding is this nation’s No. 1 natural disaster. You don’t need to live in a mapped floodplain to need flood insurance, and it just doesn’t pay to quibble over what side of a line on a flood map one lives on,” he said in a release. ”The fact is, more than 20 percent of all flood insurance claims are filed in low-to-moderate flood-risk areas, where flood insurance premiums can be a real bargain.”
County hosts Preston meeting about farm flood risk
February 22, 2011
Help is available for farmers interested in building and repairing farm pads — elevated land to store livestock, farm equipment and other essentials during a flood.
King County is hosting a meeting in Preston on Feb. 28 to offer advice and technical help to rural landowners.
The likelihood of flooding is a fact of life for many farmers living and working on the rich bottomlands in King County river valleys. The county has been working for several years to help reduce the impact of flooding by helping farmers build farm pads.
Landowners from flood-prone areas can learn more about farm pads at the meeting from 6-8 p.m. at the Preston Community Center, 8625 310th Ave. S.E. County staffers plan to discuss technical assistance related to design, construction and permitting for farm pads. Landowners who built farm pads also plan to discuss the experience.
Contact Project Manager Claire Dyckman at 206-296-1926 or claire.dyckman@kingcounty.gov to learn more.
EFR agrees to purchase boat
February 22, 2011
At its Feb. 10 meeting, the agency’s board of directors agreed to buy a used boat from the Duvall Fire District for $10,000.
The district is replacing the 1982 Wooldridge Extra Plus 21-foot jet boat with a newer model. EFR Deputy Chief Jeff Griffin said the district has taken excellent care of the old boat and that the 200 horsepower Yamaha outboard motor has plenty of life left in it. Griffin estimated a brand new version of a similar boat would cost the district $40,000 or more.
“This gives us a capability for water rescues and to deal with issues on our lakes and rivers,” EFR board Chairman Ron Pedee said. “It seems to me to be a great capability for the agency at a remarkably affordable price.”
EFR has an inflatable raft for water rescues but no jet boat. The boat will likely be stationed near Carnation, which most often sees water rescue calls due to its propensity for flooding.
Griffin said that water rescues in Lake Sammamish are the responsibility of officials at Lake Sammamish State Park at the south end of the lake. Given the difficultly of quickly moving a rescue boat, Griffin said firefighters making a water rescue on Beaver or Pine lakes will usually ask to borrow a nearby resident’s boat.
The board s also approved spending up to another $5,000 on repainting the boat, installing a radio and doing other necessary modifications.
Off the Press
February 8, 2011
Greg Farrar Press photographer
A recent photo assignment for our Issaquah Living magazine coming in next week’s Press has shed some insight into what can only be described as our little local miracle, Issaquah Creek.
We all have seen the creek as it moves past the hatchery, or under the vehicle bridges on Gilman Boulevard, Newport Way or Front Street. We definitely get a good look when it floods. But that leaves more than 99 percent of the creek unseen by most people as it comes down from Tiger Mountain and north through the valley.
I’ve been wading knee-deep in water, pushing through hummocks of blackberry vines, hiking and climbing down hillsides of forest to find the headwaters, trickles, waterfalls, and brooks that give birth to our creek.
There are four main branches — Holder Creek, which starts on the southeast slope of Tiger Mountain; Carey Creek, which begins in Hobart and comes together with Holder Creek at the Bonomi Farm by Highway 18 to create Issaquah Creek; Fifteenmile Creek, which starts on Tiger’s southwest slope and meets Issaquah Creek at Southeast May Valley Road; and the East Fork, which starts at High Point and joins Issaquah Creek west of Darigold.
City, National Weather Service collaborate
January 25, 2011
Forecasters aim to reduce confusion about flood data
Information from the city and the National Weather Service offered a study in contrasts as rain-gorged Issaquah Creek spilled onto city streets in early December.
A shed houses a U.S. Geological Survey flood gauge beside Issaquah Creek at 252nd Avenue Southeast and Southeast 165th Street. By Greg Farrar
Issaquah Creek data from a gauge upstream in Hobart indicated a creek running high, but not enough to cause more than localized flooding. Information from a downstream gauge and a notice from National Weather Service meteorologists, on the other hand, cautioned residents to prepare for widespread flooding in the city.
The arrangement caused some confusion among floodplain residents.
