Emergency proclamation declared for heat damage on roads; Pacific County included

On Friday, Gov. Jay Inslee declared an emergency in 19 counties due to heat damage to roads and infrastructure.

This includes Pacific, as well as Adams, Asotin, Clark, Cowlitz, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, King, Kittitas, Okanagan, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Whatcom, Whitman, and Yakima Counties.

The proclamation states that the unprecedented heat caused failures to concrete panels, bridge expansion joints, and asphalt, as well as electrical damage requiring repairs over a large geographic area.

It also states that the estimated cost to repair the damage to affected roadways to alleviate impacts to public safety exceeds $2,600,000 and impacts the lives and health of our citizens.

Under the State of Emergency, it allows state agencies and departments to utilize state resources to do everything reasonably possible to assist the affected areas in an effort to respond to and recover from the incident.

This will trigger Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans and allow for local coordination to assist in addressing the damage in an expedited manner.

Read the full proclamation here.