Gov. Gregoire proclaims State of Emergency due to repeated winter storm blasts

For Immediate Release: January 31, 2008

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today signed a proclamation designating a State of Emergency in multiple counties as a result of repeated snow storms hitting mountain passes and Eastern Washington. The counties covered by the proclamation include Adams, Clark, Columbia, King, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman and Yakima.

�Today I am proclaiming a State of Emergency due to the massive snowfall in Eastern Washington and the mountain passes,� said Gregoire. �The snowfall this month has been relentless and this proclamation will help counties with response efforts.�

The emergency proclamation allows local agencies to expedite the process to quickly contract with the private sector in acquiring additional snow-clearing equipment and materials.

The governor made the announcement at the Spokane Regional Traffic Management Center. Joining her at the center were Washington state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste, Spokane Mayor Mary Verner, Spokane County Commissioner Mark Richard, and Liberty Lake city councilman David Crump.

The Snoqualmie Pass has seen a total of five feet of snow in five days. Snoqualmie Pass and US 2 Stevens Pass have been closed numerous times for avalanche control to protect motorists, and Snoqualmie Pass will be closed into tomorrow.

�I�d like to thank all of the people at the state and local levels who are working around the clock to keep our roadways safe for families and freight,� the governor said.

State road crews in the mountain passes and in Eastern Washington have been working around the clock for the past four weeks � clearing snow, de-icing roads and keeping drivers safe by performing repeated avalanche control. Rural area crews have struggled with compact snow and ice and winds up to 30 mph, causing snow to blow and drift across roads that had just been cleared.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) has been busy responding to and clearing hundreds of traffic incidents around the state. People are being urged to be prepared for changing weather conditions and to check their routes before heading out.

�The conditions we�ve seen this week have been among the worst I�ve ever seen,� said WSP Chief John Batiste. �I am exceptionally proud of the way our troopers have stepped up, in very dangerous weather conditions, to keep our citizens safe.�

On Saturday in Walla Walla County, a collision occurred involving a tanker truck and a charter bus carrying athletes from the Special Olympics. Conditions were so bad that Washington state troopers and fire/rescue personnel had to walk three-quarters of a mile in blowing snow to get to the athletes and get them into ambulances.

�WSDOT crews have been in 24-hour storm-fighting mode since Saturday when the first storm began dumping snow, ice on the mountain passes and eastern Washington,� stated Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. �We have been shifting trucks and materials to the hard hit areas, plowing and clearing snow and trying to stay ahead of the storm systems.�

WSDOT has also kept in regular contact with the freight community, sending e-mail alerts to trucking contacts and calling the local truck stops. This allows the truck drivers to make decisions based on their destination and the timeliest information.

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