Your story “Drawing the Line” about local residents upset with the Corps of Engineers over flooding ignored climate change. Yet the fact is that climate has already changed in Washington.

According to a recent study, “the last half century has seen significant increases in extreme precipitation in the Puget Sound region,” which has changed the frequency of formerly rare

events such as flooding. For instance, at SeaTac, “what was a 50 year storm… from 1956-1980 became an 8.4 year storm…and is thus about six times as likely to occur.”

King County has published “Climate Change Adaptation Efforts” which states that “history may no longer be a guide to the future,” because of climate change, pointing out that we must be smart about what we build and where. This pamphlet advocates incorporation of projected changes in flooding into floodplain mapping.

The Climate Impacts Groups at the University of Washington is warning planners to consider avoiding new development in a floodplain, yet we see the current Si View park proposal where planners seek public approval to spend millions of dollars on new development in the North Bend floodplain.

My wife and I own a home in the North Bend floodplain. I find the prospect of climate change increasing our flood insurance rate or causing increasing and more extreme floods quite disturbing. Nevertheless, I support the efforts of some in King County to face this issue.

David Lewis

North Bend