Senator Murray Visits King County Emergency Operations Center, Hears Updates on Flood Recovery Efforts From Local Leaders & Emergency Management Officials

ICYMI: Senator Murray Visits Whatcom County Communities Hit Hard by Recent Flooding, Discusses Recovery and Rebuilding Efforts With Local Leaders & Emergency Management

ICYMI: In Senate Floor Speech, Senator Murray Commends Rescue Efforts and Response to Devastating Flooding Across WA, Vows to Continue Fighting for Support Needed to Rebuild & Recover

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Renton, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited the King County Office of Emergency Management Operations Center and hosted a roundtable discussion with local leaders, emergency management officials, and community members from King County. At the event, Murray heard how King County is working with surrounding municipalities and federal agencies on ongoing flood recovery efforts and how they are rebuilding and preparing for future disasters, and discussed the importance of federal disaster assistance. Last month, extreme weather caused widespread flooding and damage across Washington state. In King County, the Office of Emergency Management had to coordinate a quick response to immediately repair levees that failed in Tukwila and Pacific, ultimately preventing further catastrophic flooding and loss of life.

Joining Senator Murray for the roundtable discussion were: King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, King County Office of Emergency Management Director Brendan McCluskey, Misitica Walker, who was impactedby the historic flooding in December, and King County Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Josh Kubo.

"It was important to hear from folks on the ground about flood recovery efforts here in King County-and I look forward to supporting additional requests for federal disaster assistance in the coming days and weeks, to make sure people and communities across our state are getting the disaster relief they need to recover and rebuild," Senator Murray said. "Thanks to our heroic first responders, King County was able to respond quickly to repair failed levees in Tukwila and Pacific during the historic flooding event last month-preventing further damage to homes and businesses, and saving lives. There is still a lot of work to be done to rebuild but it is great to see so many people coming together to help get people back in their homes and get resources out the door. I will continue doing everything I can to make sure that Washington state gets the federal funding we need to recover from this disaster."

"This historic flooding tested our communities, and King County employees - working alongside cities across the county and neighbors who stepped up to help - met the moment," said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay. "From emergency management staff and first responders to public works crews and residents helping one another, people showed up in real and meaningful ways to protect lives and support those most impacted. I'm grateful to Senator Murray for coming to our Emergency Operations Center, listening to those on the ground, and continuing to fight for the federal resources our residents need to recover and move forward."

Earlier this month, Senator Murray met with local leaders, emergency management staff, and first responders from Whatcom County to discuss ongoing response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts in the region. In December, Senator Murray led Washington state's entire Congressional delegation in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to approve Governor Ferguson's request for an expedited Emergency Declaration for the devastating storms and severe flooding hitting Washington state-that request was approved on December 12^th.

Last month, Senator Murray visited the FEMA response center in Bothell to thank the staff for working around the clock to help coordinate local response efforts, and visited Snohomish County to hear from local first responders and emergency management officials and tour affected areas around the city of Monroe. Senator Murray also met with local leaders in Skagit County to discuss the ongoing response efforts in the region and to see firsthand how the Skagit County Flood Wall protected downtown Mount Vernon during the historic flooding-Murray secured the federal funds to help build the flood wall back in 2006.

Senator Murray continues to reiterate that Congress should support more, not less, investments in climate resilience to help prevent extreme weather events from devastating communities-just as the Skagit County Flood Wall was able to do in December. Back in May, Senator Murray led a bipartisan, bicameral letter with over 80 of her colleagues urging Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which supports local efforts to protect and harden our communities from natural disaster. Just recently, Washington and a multistate coalition won their lawsuit against the Trump administration over its unlawful attempt to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) BRIC program. As a longtime senior appropriator, Murray has always fought to secure the federal resources Washington state needs to recover and rebuild from natural disasters-in Congress, Murray has worked hard to impress upon her colleagues that disaster relief should never be impeded by politics.

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