“Six inches of water is enough to knock a person down and will stall most vehicles. One foot can make you lose control. Two feet can sweep a vehicle away even SUVs and trucks.” These are words of the Washington State Department of Transportation, but they are a harsh reality that communities in western Washington are experiencing this week.
Tragedy began at around 2am on Tuesday in Snohomish County, where a 33-year-old man in Washington state drove past the closed roadway signs and onto a flooded roadway. The car left the roadway and stopped in a ditch that was holding six feet of water. Rescue swimmers managed to remove this individual from his inundated vehicle, and although life-saving techniques were employed, he died at the scene. According to Jamal Beckham, a battalion chief at Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue, there had been numerous calls made throughout this storm that involved motorists stranded on top of their cars, becoming aware either by waking up to find their car surrounded with water or deciding to move despite flood waters, which rapidly surrounded their vehicles.
While Snohomish County grieved its first victim due to flooding, King County had its own situation go awry. Thousands were forced to evacuate as a result of a number of levee failures that took place on both sides of Green River and White River. In Pacific, Wash., residents awoke suddenly to helicopter warnings to evacuate as rising waters flooded their neighborhoods. About 100 residents were forced to evacuate, some even through apartment windows, until a call went out to evacuate approximately 220 homes, according to Kelly Hawks, a spokesperson for the Valley Regional Fire Authority.
The breaches occurred following several days of rainfall saturated by an atmospheric river, sending rivers to documented record highs. The Green River near Tukwila was seen to rise 15 feet in a seven-day period, which was the highest it had seen in 60 years, before a Desimone levee broke. A flash flood warning had affected over 45,000 residents following the breach. The King County Sheriff’s Office began evacuating about 1,200 individuals through door-to-door notifications and helicopter transportation.
A tremendous effort has been made to mitigate the flooding. The US Army Corps of Engineers provided the delivery of more than 250,000 sandbags, 2,200 supersacks, and 10,000 linear feet of gabion baskets to the areas that are being threatened. In Pacific, the White River levee breach was repaired by Pacific crews using massive super sacs filled with sand while being monitored for leaks.
There is also the resilience of those who live among the chaos. Gable Cramer, who made it out of the chaos along with his three young daughters and two dogs, described the experience: “We woke up to the helicopter at 2:30 in the morning circling our backyard with a ‘Go Now.’ We had to pack them up and pack our two dogs up and get out of town.” Though his house sits up top on a hill and did not get damaged by the fire, he always keeps a bag of essentials for the quickest escape.
Then, of course, there are those who fear waking up with loudspeakers warning of danger. Severe weather remains a problem during the recovery process as well. In fact, the National Weather Service says that “more heavy rain, mountain snow and high winds are expected to impact the area through the week.” Rivers are predicted to crest at moderate flood levels again this week for the Skagit, Snoqualmie, and Nisqually rivers. At the same time, Dam releases are expected to maintain the Green and White rivers at a high level.
Also, Saturated soil conditions are possible for landslides and downed trees/power lines with gusts of 60 mph. The safety of people living in such regions requires constant vigilance and readiness. The government has reminded people that, among other advices, they should follow detour and closure signs, avoid standing water, and always be prepared with their “GO!” bags. The “Turn Around Don’t Drown®” stormwater safety campaign from the National Weather Service highlights the dangers posed by shallow floodwater. Neighborhoods play a crucial role in flood relief efforts, such as the involvement of residents in carrying sandbags or the use of neighborhood trails by the government in evacuating people. As the Pacific Northwest gets hit again with another storming series, the combined efforts of government action and cooperation, coupled with compliance with safety tips, remain the strongest weapon against flood dangers.
