As mentioned in our Spring newsletter, North City Water District is part of a multi-agency group working to identify emergency planning activities that will help all of us be more prepared and responsive.

Back on February 27, our District organized a joint agency meeting to initiate a discussion about regional emergency planning efforts, as part of the King County Hazard Mitigation Planning effort.

Participants included representatives from Seattle Public Utilities, Ronald Wastewater, Northshore Utility District, Shoreline Fire Department, Northshore Emergency Management Coalition, The Highlands Homeowners Association, the Highlands Sewer District, and the City of Shoreline Sewer Utility, along with individuals from King County’s Office of Emergency Management.

During this the meeting we discussed what each of our agencies is currently doing to address emergency planning, explored ways that we could work together to proactively anticipate potential problems, and cooperatively address problems that might arise from various emergencies and related hazards.

Since then, North City Water District has signed up for ShakeAlert.org’s early earthquake alert program (as mentioned recently in the Seattle Times), looked at projects that we can do now to better prepare us in the event of a natural disaster, communicated with local fire departments about the impacts to fire service after an earthquake, and are in the process of identifying additional methods to communicate with our customers after an emergency.

We Need Your Help…

If a natural disaster strikes our area, most of our water mains are made of cast iron, and some may break as the earth shifts. Where and how will you get water?

In addition to announcements on our website, Facebook, and NextDoor.com, we are considering a One Call Now system, and/or an email blast to all ratepayers.

If you’d like to have your emergency contact information added to your account, email us at [email protected], or give us a call at 206.362.8100.