Legislation sponsored by Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, to protect vulnerable individuals during extreme weather, has been signed into law by the governor. House Bill 1012, the Extreme Weather Protection Act, tasks the Washington Military Department with helping communities better protect their residents during extreme weather events.
“Flooding, increased severity of fire seasons, extreme heat, cold weather events and times of poor air quality from events such as wildfires put our most vulnerable neighbors at risk. Such weather can especially affect our community members who are experiencing homelessness or who are elderly,” said Leavitt. “Helping our local governments with planning guidance and increased resources is a matter of life and death for some. I have been fighting for this legislation since the Summer of 2021 when many Washingtonians lost their lives due to extreme weather. I am glad to see it finally become law.”
Washington has recently been experiencing worsening fire seasons, atmospheric rivers that make abnormal flooding more commonplace, heat domes leading to dangerously high temperatures, and cold snaps blanketing the state in ice. Taking care of residents during periods of extreme weather has become an even greater public safety issue. House Bill 1012 helps cities or towns better position themselves to respond to a crisis by utilizing increased resources and resiliency planning from the Washington Military Department.
