MONROE, WA — Just days ago, where Brandon Huber was standing near the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers, floodwaters rose to his thighs.
The Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue water rescue technician was here near Monroe, saving people, as closed roads became ponds. Down the road, a Dodge Grand Caravan was still partially submerged Saturday morning. The agency rescued over three dozen people in total, said Battalion Chief Jamal Beckham. Statewide, at least 250 have been rescued.
On Saturday morning, local, state and federal elected officials, including Gov. Bob Ferguson, U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and U.S. Reps. Suzan DelBene and Kim Schrier, surveyed the aftermath.
The flooding, while still historic, mercifully didn’t quite reach the extreme levels initially predicted. No deaths or significant injuries have been reported, Ferguson said.
“This event came very close to being much more catastrophic, very close, and this reality should serve as a warning and opportunity to strengthen our preparedness and resilience for the next event,” Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Park told the elected leaders at Station 31 in Monroe.
Snohomish County officials had called in state water rescue teams to help, but sent them up north to Skagit and Whatcom counties because of how well local fire departments were managing along the U.S. 2 corridor.
Many of the nearby farmers chose to stay, building dikes around their livestock, Huber explained.
“They’ve seen it this level, I think maybe not themselves, but their grandpa probably worked through that one,” he said.
Many animals, though, ended up at the nearby Evergreen Fairgrounds. At its height, the equestrian park there housed 171 horses, 140 chickens, 104 cattle, 94 goats, three rabbits and two turkeys, said Mike Ohlsen, the fair manager.
Water was still receding Saturday after record flooding hit Snohomish and Skagit counties. A sunny Saturday serves as respite before the rain returns on Sunday.
Reid Wolcott, the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Seattle, said 4 to 7 inches of rain could be in store for parts of the Cascades, which could fuel more river flooding. Strong winds, with gusts up to 45 to 50 mph, could also sweep into the region over the next day or two, he said, posing a risk of toppled trees and power lines.
“We’re not out of the woods,” Wolcott said. “We’re halfway through.”
By mid-week, temperatures are forecast to fall, and snow levels will drop to lower elevations, reducing the amount of water flowing into rivers.
After touring around Monroe, Ferguson and others headed up to Mount Vernon, where officials were relieved the waters didn’t breach a floodwall protecting the city’s downtown.
Thousands of people remain under evacuation orders, mostly in Skagit County. State officials said Friday it could be days or weeks before evacuees can return to their homes. A long stretch of U.S. 2 between Skykomish and Leavenworth remains closed.
Some relief from the federal government has arrived in Washington, said Ferguson.
President Donald Trump on Friday signed an emergency declaration to give the state federal aid to respond to the flooding. Federal personnel are working with local authorities on rescuing stranded people, clearing debris from roads and other emergent needs, the governor said.
Assessing the damage to get further federal aid for the recovery will come later. Unlocking that additional support, including assistance for individuals, will require the feds to approve a disaster declaration.
“We’re looking at millions of dollars of infrastructure damage,” said Snohomish County Emergency Management Director Lucia Schmit. “These are small towns, small cities, diking districts that don’t have the funding. This is a catastrophic financial burden for them.”
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