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Kent mayor says NWS alert worsened panic during levee breach
Kent Mayor Dana Ralph says a National Weather Service flash flood warning issued during the Desimone levee breach sowed panic, clogged roads and slowed repair efforts, arguing the alert overstated the immediate risk. City leaders say they had planned targeted evacuation messages before the broad warning prompted traffic jams and confusion.
KENT, Wash. - As neighbors in Kent clean up from recent flooding, city leaders say a National Weather Service flood warning earlier this week did more harm than good during a levee breach.
It doesn't take long to see that Kent has been hit hard by the recent flooding and wind. New rainfall only serves as insult to injury. Despite positive progress this week, it has been an emotional rollercoaster for neighbors and city leaders alike.
Kent Mayor Dana Ralph says NWS's choice of words slowed down efforts to fix the problem.
What they're saying:
"It created panic and chaos," said Ralph. "I'm just going to be really, really blunt."
This comes just days after the Desimone levee breach, when it seemed there were very different messages coming from the city and the National Weather Service, which issued a flash flood warning.
"There was a levee breach, there was not a dam break — that is the other language that was used and those are very, very different things," said Ralph.
Ralph says the city was surprised by the National Weather Service alert.
"The breach in the levee, while significant and dangerous, I want to be really clear that there is an absolute flood component to that — it's much slower and would build its way out, and not that massive wall of water that comes to mind when you hear the word flash flood," said Ralph.
She says that's when the calls of concern started. Local businesses, neighbors, even city workers worried they needed to get out and fast, causing traffic jams.
"That chaos then turned into the inability or significant hampering of fixing of the problem," said Ralph. "So, we needed to get equipment in there to repair that levee. City of Kent crews working with King County needed to bring in dump trucks, rock, all of those equipment, and we had to have police escorts for our equipment to get them to the levee."
The mayor says the agency's alert was sent out so broadly, it reached areas that were up to 24 hours away from the flood zone.
According to the city, the plan was to send "code red" alerts — or reverse 911 calls — to a much smaller, more defined area based on estimated flooding impacts. Mayor Ralph says by the time the levee was plugged, messaging was still not in sync.
"I was watching the press conference where the National Weather Service was, and they were saying there's this continued risk of a flash flood and I had before that, received pictures of the fact that the levee was repaired and the water was no longer flowing," said Ralph.
The other side:
FOX 13 Seattle reached out to the National Weather Service, who defended their decision to send the flash flood warning. They say they did not issue sweeping evacuation orders.
"Flash Flood Warnings are issued when there is an imminent threat of rapid inundation or debris flows […] In this case, the NWS coordinated in-person with King County Office of Emergency Management and King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks," said a spokesperson for the NWS. "Flash Flood Warnings trigger the Emergency Alert System and can also trigger a Wireless Emergency Alert. It is important to note that the NWS message specifically says Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order. In other words, evacuation notices do not come from the NWS."
Their decision to send an alert was based on the location of the breach, eyewitness reports from King County crews, the potential flooding path, and the risk to "industrial, residential, commercial, and transportation assets and infrastructure."
"NWS will be following up with our local partners to review lessons learned from this unprecedented weather event, and to discuss how we can improve our collaboration moving forward," said an NWS spokesperson.
What's next:
Ralph says words matter and in moments like these, more than ever.
"We have to coordinate language. I can't emphasize enough, I am more concerned that the panic that was created was far more dangerous than the situation on the ground," said Ralph. "And there was real flooding. The levee had breached. That is not downplaying that. But flash flood warning to an area so large with so many people in it. There's no way to manage that in a safe way."
The mayor encourages everyone to make sure you are connected to your city's websites, social media accounts, apps and services, especially during emergencies. She also warns people to watch out for AI-generated videos which have already proven to be misleading during these floods.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Dan Griffin.