Green River College has several operations that are located in the Green River Valley and could be directly impacted by a flood. Several employees and more than 1,000 students are at valley locations that include Kent Campus; Auburn Center; ABE/ESOL locations at the Auburn, Algona/Pacific and Kent Libraries; and various internships, practicum, and other learning opportunities.
In addition to learning operations in the valley, many students and employees and their families live in areas that may be directly impacted by flood waters. Many more live in areas outside the flood zone, but rely on using valley roadways, as well as bus and train transportation to reach Green River campuses.
While the main campus would not be impacted directly by Green River flooding, indirect impacts could include the loss of utilities - electricity, natural gas, sanitation/sewer, and transportation, to name a few. The main campus could also be impacted by large numbers of employees and students, who could not for various reasons report to work or school.
Evacuation plan Kent Campus and Auburn Center
The EOC will be responsible for announcing and coordinating the evacuation of the Kent Campus and/or Auburn Center, unless prior instruction is provided by city officials, emergency planners or police and fire. Both facilities may, or may not, be evacuated simultaneously. Evacuation notification from the EOC may be delivered by a variety of means including in-person, phone, email, or other means. If available, students and staff will be given a timeline of when the Green River is expected to crest flood stage. Employees are expected to ensure that all students have safely left the building and have transportation to unaffected areas. Once students are safely evacuated, employees may be asked to follow building systems shutdown plans that could include securing equipment, files, fire and security systems, elevator and IT/telecom protocol, shutting down the main power, and securing outside doors (see building checklist).
Kent Campus and Auburn Center re-entry
Adequate time will be allowed to bring facilities back online following an evacuation. Re-entry of a facility is to be coordinated by the EOC in conjunction with Campus Safety and Facilities. Building employees will be notified when they can return to their work location. Students will not be allowed to return to buildings until systems are in place and buildings are adequately staffed.