Hutchison: Oh Noes!!1! Call Teh Marines!

From the desk of Susan Hutchison, candidate for King County Executive:

I want to talk to you today about the most serious and immediate threat to the region’s economy and well being—floods along the Green River resulting from problems at the Howard Hansen Dam. I have said for two months that we need to be working 24/7 to shore up the levees to prevent the disaster. Today I suggest we call up the Marines!

The Howard Hanson Dam (which has its own Twitter page) is located in south King County. It was dedicated in 1962 and built to prevent flooding of the lowland areas of Auburn, Kent, Tukwila, and Renton. But now the dam is steadily leaking, and it can't store as much water as it used to, which may precipitate flooding.

Back to Hutchison:

Thousands of businesses are located there, including the Boeing Commercial Airplane company headquarters. The lowlands are home to 30,000 residents including senior and low-cost housing. The county, Boeing and other businesses are spending millions to protect their assets, and people who can, are moving to higher ground. But as we saw with Katrina, the poor and vulnerable will suffer the most.

Hutchison, who places priorities with the poor and the vulnerable, lays out a bullet-point plan on how to address the issue, a list that includes:

Asking for military assistance from Fort Lewis-based units, calling for volunteers from the area to prepare for flooding, and, to lobby the Governor and our D.C. delegation to get us the cash to fix the dam.

Hutchison attacks Constantine, too: "My opponent, who is chair of the County Council, says he’s been in meetings since May. But we what we need is action!"

Meetings! He's been in meetings! Meetings about the damn dam! You mean, like this meeting?

Spent the morning with the Army Corps Colonel and at the Howard Hanson Dam. Good progress. Now at the flood prep meeting in Kent. BIG crowd.

Huh. Sometime meetings can be good, too.