News Release

Release date: Nov. 14, 2001

Contacts: Rochelle Ogershok, King County, (206) 296-6515
               Greg Phipps, WSDOT, (206) 440-4702
               Jody Woodcock, Pierce County, (253) 798-7021
               Fred Bird, Snohomish County, (425) 388-3494

Agencies gear up to 'Take Winter by Storm'

King County, WSDOT announce region's
first public notification e-mail service on GOVLINK

While it's hard to predict how many arctic blasts or pineapple expresses may come our way this winter, the weather forecasters are telling us to be ready. And when the bad weather strikes, King County, the Washington State Department of Transportation and other agencies throughout Puget Sound will have some new tools to respond to a variety of problems -- from flooding and snow to any other unexpected event.

That was the message shared today by King County Executive Ron Sims, Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel, Pierce County Executive Ladenburg's Chief of Staff Lyle Quasim, WSDOT Northwst Region Administrator Lorena Eng, and National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Ted Buehner. They launched the fifth annual "Taking Winter By Storm" campaign -- an outreach partnership aimed at helping residents get ready for upcoming fall and winter storms.

Marking the campaign's fifth year, WSDOT and King County also announced today the expansion of the Regional Public Information Network (RPIN) on GOVLINK.org. The first-of-its-kind pilot partnership will allow 37 participating government agencies and organizations throughout central Puget Sound to notify the public directly by e-mail or pager when they're responding to a broad range of service disruptions, incidents or emergencies.

The nationally recognized service, now in its second year, will not only provide the public with one-stop shopping for centralized information on the Internet -- it will also have the ability to reach residents quickly with important news and instructions when storms or other incidents occur. Residents who subscribe to the free service will have the option of receiving either "breaking news" announcements or "transportation alerts" issued by road and transit agencies.

"The rollout of RPIN eNews demonstrates just how dramatically technology and the Internet have changed our ability to communicate directly with citizens when problems occur," King County Executive Ron Sims said. "I'd like to thank the 37 agency partners participating in this pilot project for recognizing the need to provide comprehensive information to the public, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries."

Sims added that RPIN eNews will make it easier for residents to access and receive critical information on a variety of topics, such as snow, flooding, transportation disruptions, health or public safety concerns, and any other situation they may need to know about.

"We understand the public's need for quick, comprehensive information," stated Lorena Eng, WSDOT NW Region administrator. "We're pleased to be part of a system that provides breaking news and updated travel conditions from multiple sources all at the same time."

Besides receiving e-mail alerts, pager headlines and tracking the latest information being posted by participating RPIN partners, residents logging on to GOVLINK can continue to access a comprehensive list of links to information about traffic conditions, transit service, flooding, coping with power disruptions, and preparing for emergencies on the "Taking Winter by Storm" winter Web site sponsored by King County, WSDOT and the City of Seattle. The site, at www.govlink.org/storm, also includes handy links to weather information.

In addition to GOVLINK, the agencies are also sponsoring a recorded information line, (206) 205-6700, that provides a variety of phone numbers residents can call to obtain information before and during bad weather. The agencies have additionally produced a new "Taking Winter by Storm" winter travel brochure that features maps detailing selected city, county and state priority snow routes.

During the next year, the RPIN eNews feature will be evaluated by participating partners for its effectiveness in serving the public.

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