October is Flood Awareness Month, and King County officials are urging floodplain residents to prepare a flood safety plan and sign up for automated flood alerts.

Flood Awareness Month this year coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of flood warning services in the area.

When destructive floodwater in the winter of 1959-60 engulfed homes, businesses and roads in the Snoqualmie and Green river valleys and beyond, it was clear a method to alert floodplain residents and property owners to the danger of flooding had become critical.

“While our beautiful rivers and valleys remain the lifeblood of this region, they annually bring the potential for devastating flooding to our county,” said County Councilmember, and chair of the King County Flood Control District, Julia Patterson. “This is true today just as much as it was 50 years ago.”

During those early years, county staff used mobile radios and radio frequencies to broadcast updates about rising river levels and to coordinate the emergency response to flooding and to keep residents safe.

King County’s Flood Warning Program now uses sophisticated technology to receive, analyze and interpret data in near real-time, providing citizens, partner cities and others with vital information about river levels, and flood conditions of local waterways, including Issaquah Creek, which broke its banks in 2009 causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to local homes and businesses.

For information about flood preparedness, visit www.kingcounty.gov/flood, or call 206-296-4535 or 1-800-768-7932.