Tom Albro
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Exhibit
300 Lenora Street, #226
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Port Commissron K
Seattle, WA 93121               efgy; thzx
Meeting

October 6, 2009


The Seattle Port Commission (Commissioners Bryant, Creighton, Davis, Hara and Tarleton)
Port of Seattle
PO. Box 1209
Seattle, WA 98111

RE:   Request to make vacant port properties available for short-term rental by businesses located
in the potential ood area of the Green River Valley.

Honorable Commissioners:

As a community member, small business owner, civil engineer, and lately an active candidate for the
Seattle Port Commission, I am increasingly concerned about the impacts we are likely to face should the
reduced capacity of the Howard Hansom Dam result in flooding of the Green River Valley. Our region's

economy  and the health of our Port  signicantly depends on the daily labor of people and businesses
in the river valley.

We could lose up to $46 million a day in economic activity if the south county warehouses and
businesses are underwater. We need to make vacant Port properties available for these businesses to
keep cargo moving from our terminals and to help reduce our region's economic disruption from the
threat of ooding and any ood that may occur. The time to do this is now.

The Green River Valley includes the cities of Kent, Renton, Auburn, and Tukwila. The area is a hub for
the local economy - hundreds of businesses employ tens of thousands of people and conduct over $15
billion dollars of economic activity here every year. The Valley is the second largest distribution and
warehouse center on the West Coast and serves to process cargo coming through both the Ports of
Seattle and Tacoma. The economy of the entire region will be impacted in the event of a flood and by
how well we minimize the disruptions to businesses in the area.

Unless we act now, even the scare of ooding could cause cargo to be diverted from our terminals if
shippers decide to route their goods through other points of entry to avoid uncertainty. The effect of
which would be a blow to jobs throughout our region. These economic consequences only compound
the human suffering inflicted if a flood occurs. Right new businesses throughout the valley are grappling
with fortifying their facilities and creating the operating plans they'll need in case of flooding. As the
second largest landowner in King County, the Port of Seattle is in a unique position to make available
temporary facilities and land that could alleviate some of the economic impacts from this threat and the
uncertainty it poses.

In response, i am requesting that the Commission direct the Port staff to develop
a Green River Relief
Program that would at least include the following:

0  Make currently unoccupied Port property available for short-term rental to businesses with
locations in the potential flood area;
0  Give priority to small businesses and those least able to otherwise continue operations in the

event of a flood;

0  Work with jurisdictions in which property is located to maximize the properties available and
minimize the regulatory hurdles of temporary occupancy and use;
0  Encourage other public and private property owners to make their vacant property similarly
available.

The citizens of King County have created the Port of Seattle to
serve their economic interests. The rst
step in creating jobs is to preserve the ones we already have. if cargo service is interrupted, the
shippers who use our Port will have little choice but to use other Ports not in harm's
way  and they may
not come back. Competition is great and growing.

Vacant buildings and idle lands made available and occupied under this
program would not only help
keep businesses operating that depend on the Port, it but would create additional income to the Port
itself. We can do well by doing good.

Thank you for your serious and immediate consideration of this request.

Sincerely,
Qcb
Tom Albro