Burien council members began the new year by focusing on the city's response to last month's major windstorm that left most Highline residents without power for days.

Lawmakers, who heard from Burien/Normandy Park Fire Chief Mike Mars and Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer, indicated this was the first of several discussions about the local emergency response to natural disasters.

"This isn't going to be the only windstorm we are going to see, so we need to be prepared for more," said Councilman Jack Block Jr.

A key aspect in preparing for future storms is the needs of the elderly who live in nursing homes and retirement communities, Mars said. "The elderly are one of our biggest concerns."

City code requirements for auxiliary generators at these facilities aren't enough to provide heat or adequate lighting, he noted.

"The code needs to be greater," Mars said. "The nursing home generators are up to the current code but that's only enough to power the fire alarms and minimal light."

The fire department and the city need to devise a plan to support residents of these facilities for up to three days when power is interrupted, he said.

Kimerer said training opportunities are available to the public to teach them how to respond to a crisis and to enable people to help each other in a disaster.

"But we need people to be interested in these programs," he said.

During the December storm, strong gusts prevented firefighters from responding until the winds subsided, Mars recalled.

"We weren't making any headway in the conditions of the storm, so we waited it out."

That makes training for the public for disaster preparedness even more important, he said.

In other business, Councilwoman Rose Clark was unanimously elected deputy mayor for 2007.