Citizens invited to discuss
long-term flood solutions

 Residents of Lewis and south Thurston counties are being invited to discuss long-term solutions to prevent future flooding in the Chehalis River basin. Reps. Gary Alexander and Richard DeBolt, along with Sen. Dan Swecker, will host meetings on Monday, Jan. 21, in Rochester and Adna to listen to citizens' concerns and ideas for a flood mitigation plan being prepared by the state.

The Department of Transportation has announced that it is taking the lead on developing the plan, but the local legislators want the needs of local residents to be given primary consideration.

"We want to make sure that the voices of local citizens are heard and that the plan reflects the needs of the local communities that are affected by the flooding," said DeBolt, R-Chehalis.  "The landowners and local planners are going to have to be part of any solution, and so they have to trust that their concerns are addressed.  The only way to ensure that is to give them a seat at the table.  That's the purpose of this meeting."

"These communities have done an amazing job responding to the needs of their neighbors and friends," said Alexander, R-Olympia.  "They have redefined resilience and generosity.  Now it's incumbent upon us to do what we can to make sure they don't have to live through this experience again.  The political will exists in Olympia to address the flooding problem, and so we need to bring the community and state together to get the job done, rather than waiting for the next disaster."