North Seattle businesses ‘horrified’ over potential impact ‘The Jungle’ could have
Feb 25, 2016, 6:28 AM | Updated: 9:01 am
Eugene Wasserman believes fires in the illegal homeless encampment known as "The Jungle" could have a "devastating impact" on I-5 that could shut down the region economically. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
The head of the North Seattle Industrial Association says “The Jungle” is a threat to our economy.
Eugene Wasserman, president of the association, believes the illegal homeless encampment could have a “devastating impact” on I-5 that could shut down the region economically.
Photos: Seattle officials estimate nearly 400 people living in The Jungle
The association represents North Seattle’s maritime and industrial businesses and property owners.
The impact Wasserman is referring to comes from the recent assessment of the encampment. City officials reported that fire is the single greatest risk to the stretch of I-5 between Beacon Hill and Sodo. The Jungle has averaged about 50 fires per year over the past five years, much of them under or around I-5. Wasserman says the association is “horrified” of the potential impact.
“No freight would move, the ports would back up,” Wasserman said of a large-scale fire in the encampment. “[State Route] 99, which is the main route many of my members use, would be clogged with traffic. And nothing would move. People would not be able to get to work. Basically, the region would shut down economically.”
And if it seems unlikely that one single event could shut down an entire region, just look back to the great fish truck incident of March 24, 2015. A single semi-truck tipped on southbound Highway jammed traffic in the Seattle area for nine hours. The crash resulted in the city assessing how it handles road-related events.
Eugene Wasserman sent his concerns in a letter to the state Senate Transportation Committee. He requested The Jungle is cleaned out for good.
