Sequim tentatively approves package for emergency readiness

SEQUIM — If disaster hits the North Olympic Peninsula, help is not on the way. Not from the federal government, not from the county or from anywhere else, Sequim Police Chief Robert Spinks told the City Council Monday night.

“We will sit out here and fend for ourselves,” he added.

With that, Spinks rolled out a list of programs that aim to help residents cope with calamity, be it a tsunami, a brutal storm or a sewer-line break.

Disaster readiness isn’t cheap: Spinks recommended $10,000 for the initial payment on an AM radio alert system, $10,000 for “crime prevention training,” $4,000 for development of an educational DVD, $4,800 for an “Are You OK?” system that would check on seniors and other vulnerable adults, and $2,500 for volunteers’ uniforms, among other expenditures.

The City Council unanimously voted for most of Spinks’ package Monday, approving a $60,834 budget amendment. Before the city can spend that money, however, the council must hold a public hearing.

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