Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1_02 Emergency Management and Flood ResponseDecember 2025 “Flood of Record” Event PRESENTATION BY: PUBLIC WORKS, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS MARTIN PASTUCHA, PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATOR KRISTI ROWLAND, EXECUTIVE SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR Response Highlights and Lessons Learned The Lead-Up Above normal temperatures Atmospheric river following days of rain Flooding potential on rivers/streams,streets High soil saturation Landslide potential Levee concerns Nile Ave NE at May Creek City Preparedness Fall educational content series on storm drains / flood safety begins with Engineer Joe Sandbag resources verified, pre-filled for responders Equipment and staff ready for response Internal advance coordination meetings Regional coordination conference calls November 2025 Stormwater Smarts video garners 250,000 views Cedar River at Renton Hydrograph NEW RECORD FLOOD 12,500 CFS NEW RECORD STAGE 18.25 FT Green River at Auburn Hydrograph Significant City Property Impacts Bridge impacts Trail and riverbank erosion Debris cleanup Stoneway Concrete Renton Logan Ave Bridge, 12/23/25 Under Williams Ave Bridge, 12/22/25 Cedar River Trail, 12/11/25 River overtops sandbags at Carco Theatre, 12/11/25 Maple Valley Hwy, 12/17/25Elliot spawning channel, 12/17/25 Carco Theatre Seaplane base and Airport Spawning channel Maple Valley Hwy landslide More being discovered as water recedes Significant City Property Impacts (cont.) Business Impacts from Cedar River Flooding Boeing plane delivery delayed due to raised South Boeing Bridge Two other businesses reported flood damages totaling: $525,000 structural damage $30,000 in content losses $8,000 in economic losses Boeing employees at raised bridge, 12/11/2025 Raised for a total of 10-days Business Impacts from Desimone Levee Breach Widespread evacuation of businesses Economic losses to multiple businesses Disruption to critical medical facility doing blood processing for entire PNW and beyond Heightened anxiety in valley businesses Critical medical infrastructure, Bloodworks Northwest facility Significant Community Impacts SE 7th Street Neighborhood Flooding of at least two homes by visual observation Riviera Apartments Sudden rise in river level forced rapid evacuation 2-3 feet of flood waters at some apartments At least one person permanently displaced Riviera Apartments, 12/11/2025 SE 7th Street, 12/11/2025 Significant Community Impacts (cont.) Maplewood Neighborhood Basement flooding in multiple homes from high water table Community-built sandbag wall prevented most floodwaters from entering Maplewood sandbag wall, 12/11/2025 Incident Objectives Maintain open and safe critical transportation routes. Coordinate the incident response across city departments and supporting agencies. Mobilize, prioritize, assign and make resources available (including staff/volunteers) to address the needs of the incident. Collect and use available weather and flood forecast information to guide incident response. Use existing technologies to accurately collect, verify, and communicate relevant information and disseminate to key stakeholders. Provide prompt, actionable, and accurate information to the public to take protective actions. How Did We Do? Feedback Sources: Live engagement with commenters and messages on Renton social platforms Resident feedback, including meeting with Maplewood neighbors immediately after the flooding Council questions and comments Staff interviews and notes Formal flood debrief/hotwash with city staff Partner agency discussions/debriefs Strengths of the Response Photo Credit: Connor Croff YouTube Channel Maintained open transportation routes: regular inspections, prudent closures for public safety, timely communication. Regular incident command meetings, with clear task assignments to PW and excellent coordination with external agencies. Sandbag/resource stockpiles and proactive purchasing: first responders, mutual aid partners, and the public had adequate flood fighting supplies. Strengths of the Response (cont.) Experienced staff rapidly accessed plans and maps, with good teamwork. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) informed planning and decision-making. Technical data and field observations were shared in regular situation reporting. Technology was leveraged to effectively support collaboration. Emergency alerts kept the public informed of the current situation. Strengths of the Response (cont.) Live information updated as received with timestamps Served as trusted source for media -KIRO, KOMO, KING and FOX were referencing real-time updates from rentonwa.gov/emergencyinfo, per calls and texts from reporters. Seattle Times broke the news on the levee repair at Desimone from the City of Renton’s update. Strengths of the Response (cont.) By the numbers: -2,115 City of Renton post reshares during and post flood event -(691 on Dec. 15 alone) -Gained 1,977 new Facebook followers -Gained 561 new Instagram followers -Peak: 659,300 page views on Facebook on 12/15/25 -Peak: 115,437 post views on Instagram on 12/15/25 142,888 engagements 2.3 million views over event Strengths of the Response (cont.) Lessons Learned Imperfect prediction models will require adjustment in large events. Barriers for public to access city sandbag resources. Slow CERT/volunteer mobilization can be streamlined. Challenges in clarifying public information with multiple alerting authorities involved, particularly in a multi-jurisdictional evacuation, and staff need information even more rapidly. Impact of evacuation on businesses is significant, and critical business functions are not well known Low public enrollment in alerting system limits the reach of messaging Action Items: Sandbagging Support CERT volunteers making sandbags, 12/12/2025 Negotiate more convenient location for community sandbagging station Extend access hours to the public during sandbagging operations. Remove limits on the number of sandbags during emergencies. Better on-site signage to direct community members to sandbags. Streamline the process for CERT contact and mobilization. Action Items: Incident Command Decision Support Business Support Develop and revise a flood impact matrix correlating different metrics like height, flow, and observed impacts. Provide training to staff on its use for decision making. Develop a more accessible database or method for locating business contact information. Conduct outreach to understand critical business operations in the Green River floodplain and support their preparedness. Action Items: Public Information and Warning Support Clarify internal process for rapid map production and release. Develop preapproved, customizable maps for sharing. Expand Crisis Communications Plan content. Conduct outreach to expand enrollment for emergency alerts. Recovery Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) complete and reviewed by FEMA ~ $18M in damages Presidential Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance (PA) program is not yet assured If approved, projects will be scrutinized by FEMA, and then they will cost share 75% of approved repair amounts Displaced person from Riviera apartments referred to Human Services and other resources Working with community organizations offering aid Created centralized webpage for post-flood resources, supported by post-flood recovery communications campaign Post-flood recovery posts garner 46,500 views Proactive Investments Levee system construction after the previous flood of record Regular inspection and dredging of the Cedar River Hazard mitigation projects related to levee maintenance/ improvements 1990 Flood – 10,600 cfs Cedar River Delta drone photo Monday 12/15/2025 - Looking south Proactive Investments (cont.) Plans, procedures, and resource development All-hazards training and exercises for staff Proactive Investments (cont.) Cultivating visible, trusted voices for the public Cedar River floodplain doorhanger outreach (Fall 2025) Green River floodplain outreach (2009-2011) Proactive Investments (cont.) Development of Crisis Communications Plan (2024), including natural disaster planning, with Comms, EM, & PD Public Information Officer (PIO) Basic Training (2025) for 30 staff representing 7 departments who serve as our Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) Centralized website for all city accounts to link to with live updates,ensuring continuity of information Building Resilience for the Future Strategic investments in infrastructure Improving plans by incorporating lessons learned Regular training and exercising for staff Continued communication and engagement around community preparedness Expanded outreach to businesses Summary Strong teamwork and good preparation Good lessons learned from an extreme event Actionable items assigned and being worked on Future vision for resilience