A tale of 2 disaster plans: Orting and Fife

Fife, a city of about 9,000 in the shadow of Tacoma, is only 15 miles downstream from Orting, its country cousin. But how the two communities reacted Wednesday to predictions of record flooding is a lesson for urban officials whose emergency plans exist only on paper.

Fife officials, called upon to activate their flood-response plan, scrambled to find a single shelter outside the flood zone.

When the mayor of Orting got word that catastrophic floods might be headed for her town Wednesday, she didn't even have to consult the emergency plan. "It's one thing to have drills, but to go through it time and time again, you get to know what to do," Mayor Cheryl Temple said. "I didn't even look at the book this time."

In all, 40,000 people in Pierce County were advised to seek higher ground as the Puyallup River, swollen with rain and melted snow, threatened to spill its banks with record flows.

The National Weather Service warned state and Fife officials at about 1 p.m. that the Puyallup River was expected to run about 6 feet above flood level. If the levees separating the city from the river were compromised, flooding would be severe, the weather service warned.

The news surprised everyone who long viewed Fife as safe from the river.

"It's so far down and close to the drainage area on the bay that it's not usually a place that gets flooded out," said Pierce County Emergency Management spokeswoman Sheri Badger.

Fife officials swung into action, dispatching people door to door in two newer developments along the river, and asking the county to send out evacuation advisories via phone to 5,400 homes in the city.

But the city didn't yet have anywhere to send evacuees: Fife's two designated emergency shelters were located in the flood plain, and it didn't a have a third option lined up.

Anticipating a mass exodus, city employees began cold-calling facilities and even considered using the Tacoma Dome. After about three hours, they found a middle school in nearby Milton that was willing to serve as a shelter.

"We lucked into Surprise Lake" school, Fife Police Lt. Tom Thompson explained.

The city assumed the Red Cross would step in, and asked the agency if it would help out, Fife Mayor Barry Johnson said. But the agency said it was "maxed out and unable to provide any assistance," according to Johnson.

Red Cross state spokeswoman Katherine Boury said the city did call at 4 p.m. Wednesday seeking help in setting up a shelter for about 1,500 evacuees. The agency told the city it would help out once a site was secured, but never heard back, Boury said.

When residents began showing up at the middle school about 6 p.m., there were a few snacks — granola bars, water, chips, crackers and cookies that city staff picked up at Costco and residents had donated.

"We're kind of handling that on the fly as we go," Fife Councilman Butch Brooks said during a visit to the shelter Wednesday night.

Kristen LaFrance, one of several city employees who helped run the shelter, said the city was relying on volunteers and community donations for such basics as blankets, food and water. The shelter had no cots, only wrestling mats for people to sleep on.

"This is new for us," LaFrance said.

By 9 p.m., city staff working at the shelter said they were still "flying by the seat of their pants." About 20 people with disabilities and some youths were transferred to a church that was better equipped to serve them. City officials said they were surprised by the number of people who brought their children to the shelter.

By morning, it was clear the predictions were wrong: The devastating flood never hit Fife.

Johnson, council members and city officials met Thursday to discuss ways of improving their emergency plans.

"The city of Fife got very lucky last night," he said.

Susan Kelleher: 206-464-2508 or skelleher@seattletimes.com. Sara Jean Green contributed to this report.