On Monday, August 22, the City of Mountlake Terrace was notified that its grant application for $250,000 to construct a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center (EOC) within the Operations Facility has been approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

An EOC is a central command and control facility responsible for managing largescale emergencies to ensure the continuity of government services. The function
of an EOC is to collect and analyze data; make decisions that protect life and property, maintain continuity of the organization, within the scope of applicable
laws; and disseminate decisions to all concerned agencies and individuals.

The project proposal received an average score of 39 out of 40 possible points and ranked 2 out 19 applications statewide. The city will now begin working with the Emergency Services Coordinating Agency (ESCA) to design and construct the EOC.

The City partners with the ESCA, which helps coordinate emergency responses during disasters. Current members include the cities of Brier, Edmonds, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Woodinville, and the Town of Woodway.

ESCA also provides Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, designed to prepare Mountlake Terrace citizens to help take care of themselves and their neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Professional emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately, so citizens can make a difference by using their CERT training to protect and save lives.