INSIDE

PREP queries county officials

The Point Roberts Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Committee continues to draw a crowd of residents willing to pitch in to prepare the community for a crisis.

At their November 6 meeting the group had an opportunity to ask county emergency personnel what level of help Point Roberts could count on from them.

Many attending the meeting were concerned about a slow county response to flooding after severe winter storms last year, and PREP co-chair Henry Rosenthal asked Don Boyd from the Whatcom County Department of Emergency Management to explain what steps were needed for the county to declare an emergency in Point Roberts.

“It’s when the county executive determines life and property are being threatened,” he said, a determination made following a recommendation from his office. “The emergency declaration allows us to extend public funds for the assistance of private citizens,” including the release of sandbags and dispatching public works crews to protect homes.

Co-chair Ed Lester said the experience of local residents was that the system doesn’t get them what they need in a timely manner in an emergency. “In past history none of the things you say have occurred,” he said. “Our premise is that we won’t get any help. It’s a long way around and other larger communities will demand your resources.”

Lester suggested the role of PREP was to bridge the gap, making sure the supplies and infrastructure was already here, before an emergency struck. “Are there funds available so we can have those emergency supplies in stock?” he asked.

Until an emergency was declared, Boyd said, his office could not release anything. “The hard answer is on the U.S. side prior to the emergency declaration the best we can do is encourage you to go to the hardware store and be prepared.”

With winter on its way Mary Miller asked why a snow plow and operator were no longer stationed in Point Roberts, and if funding was available to ensure rapid snow removal for the Point. “Last year once you got out to Tsawwassen everything was plowed and sanded and fine,” agreed Shannon Tomsen, referring to last winter’s heavy snowfall and accompanying power outages. “We become the red-headed step child no one cares about.”

“Every person in Point Roberts is just as important to me as anyone else in Whatcom County,” Boyd said. “In an emergency we will exhaust every effort to get our people up here.”

Undersheriff Carey James said that from locally-based snow removal to upgrades to the dikes and seawalls, there were a lot of steps toward emergency preparedness that were not part of the sheriff’s office mandate. “Call the county executive and get the resources on the Point you need. He has discretionary funds he can spend,” he said. “If you’re worried about snow problems you ask the county executive to buy a snowplow and put it here.”

James also echoed Boyd’s emphasis on families being prepared themselves, with adequate non-perishable food and water, an emergency kit, a corded phone that works when the power goes out. “A wake up call for everyone was Katrina,” he said. “The federal government is a gigantic muscle that responds days after a signal is sent to it.

Local deputies were a local resource and James said the community shouldn’t hesitate to rely on them in an emergency. “In the county our job is people in ditches, or stuck in cars,” said deputy Mike King, one of two deputies who live and work in Point Roberts. “Up here it’s more community oriented. If you’re stuck in your house in a storm don’t be afraid to call 911 and tell them you’re in Point Roberts and they’ll page us. If you’re stuck with no food and your three kids, I’ll come.”

King emphasized that because of the unique situation of Point Roberts it was important to be clear with dispatchers that they page the local deputies. In the case of a recent injury accident, King said, “They didn’t call me for an hour” because in other locations in the county the Washington State Patrol takes care of injury accidents. Fire chief Bill Skinner added that those who use Canadian cellular telephones have experienced delays as the call is routed to the appropriate dispatch center.