Issue 45
City of Sumner Newsletter
December 2006
November Floods Test Sumner’s New Methods and Bring Out Spirit In early November, the City of Sumner experienced flooding of both the Puyallup and White Rivers. An estimated 1500 Sumner residents were evacuated. Despite property damage along the river, no one was hurt or injured. There was no need for dramatic rescues involving helicopters or boats. A blending of utility improvements and new emergency management tools with Sumner’s long-time willing spirit reduced the amount of damage and harm the flood waters could have caused. First, as soon as the City of Sumner realized that flooding was probable, it launched a new tool called the EOC. Standing for Emergency Operations Center, the EOC is part of the National Incident Management Structure, which establishes distinct roles and a central location from which all City responders work. This tool coordinates efforts for the greatest, most efficient impact.
SEE INSIDE Mayor’s Message Sumner Reads Together Paying Your Bill Online Being Prepared for Floods
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When it was clear that evacuations were necessary, new and old methods blended for effective communications. A new Intellicast system used the 911 system in reverse to call affected households and
deliver the evacuation message. The City’s website and the local access cable channel ran evacuation notices. And, finally, employees and volunteers went door to door to alert affected residents. With all these tools, no one was trapped after the flooding began. After floodwaters receded, the City continued to use a mix of traditional and new methods to aid recovery. Public Works pumped areas of standing water, inspectors checked structures for livability, police guarded evacuated areas, and the website and other media broadcast updates. By far, though, volunteers sped up the recovery effort with their oldfashioned enthusiasm and dedication. Sumner benefited from hundreds of volunteers, many from outside of the City, who rolled up their sleeves and went to work cleaning up affected areas. Bonney Lake employees, especially police and public works staff, quickly responded before the flooding to help with evacuations and to cover normal emergency calls so that their Sumner colleagues could put their full effort toward the flood. The Sumner School District put out a call for volunteers to fill sandbags, and volunteers showed up through the entire night. “After the flood, I know we had volunContinued at Floods, page 6