The City of Carnation experienced two alarm incidents Wednesday morning due to a malfunctioning evacuation alert system run by the City of Seattle.
The Tolt Dam, owned and operated by the City of Seattle, would cause catastrophic damage to Carnation and force city-wide evacuation if it ever were to break.
“After every false alarm, we are told that this issue is a priority for The City of Seattle and SPU (Seattle Public Utilities). But these false alarms continue to happen and cause panic, fear, and ongoing PTSD for our citizens,” said Carnation Mayor Jim Ribail. “After four years, The City of Seattle and SPU have yet to deliver a reliable, effective system for a Seattle asset that puts Carnation residents in harm’s way.”
Last Summer, the Carnation City Council declared a State of Emergency after a false alarm sounded on August 30, 2024. The Council adopted the Declaration unanimously due to its concerns and doubts about the City of Seattle’s ability to operate the Tolt Dam.
“Carnation was incorporated in 1912, and Seattle built its dam in 1964. Seattle’s Dam puts all our lives and property at risk,” said City Manager Ana Cortez. “The City gets no benefit from it. We get no water from it. We get no revenue from it. Yet we have one hundred percent of the risk.”
Per protocol, the City of Carnation attempted to reach the Seattle Public Utilities Operations Center via radio to confirm the dam’s safety. SPU failed to answer. The City will be holding a press conference to discuss these issues.
PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS:
Time: 10:00 AM
Date: Thursday, March 28th, 2024
Location: Carnation City Hall (4621Tolt Avenue, Carnation, WA 98014)
Click below to view Tolt Dam news coverage:
Tolt-Dam-News-Coverage-2020-Present.pdf (storage.googleapis.com)
Click below to view a video recapping the September 30th community forum: Tolt Dam Community Forum & Evacuation Drill – City of Carnation on Vimeo
[Information provided by the City of Carnation]
