Published: Saturday, October 31, 2009
Farms, other businesses prepare in case floods return
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Mark Mulligan / Herald file
Linda Neunzig picks up her mail from a postal carrier in Arlington during floods in January.
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A duck proves to be the only animal on Neunzig’s farm not bothered by the rising waters in January. Neunzig is making plans to evacuate her livestock if the floods return this fall and winter.
First comes the rain, then the floodwater.
Arlington business owners remember last winter's flooding all too well, right down to the sandbags stacked high around their shops — and how long it took for the floodwater to creep in past the bags.
Now, the chance of another stormy winter has Snohomish County business owners cringing. Forecasts predict it won't be another harsh winter. But that doesn't mean rivers will keep to their banks.
“It's forecasted that we're going to have a moderate El Niño this winter, National Weather Service meteorologist Johnny Burg said. “That means warmer than normal temperatures and dryer than normal.”
He added: “However, that doesn't mean that there isn't going to be flooding.”
That means it's possible that Snohomish County could be in for a repeat of last year, when rivers jumped their banks and caused more than $20 million in damage. State officials are recommending business preparedness, including flood insurance and emergency plans.
Linda Neunzig, owner of Ninety Farms in Arlington, said it's the warm season that can bring heightened flood watches to the nearby Stillaguamish River.
Her farm flooded in January, meaning her animals had to be evacuated and valuables had to be moved to higher storage spots.
When spring came, silt covered her fields, making it harder for crops to grow.
But that was all because of last winter.
“I'm thinking it can't really happen two years in a row,” Neunzig said.
She and other north-county farmers are planing cover crops such as fava beans or wheat. Cover crops add nutrients when they're tilled back into the soil in spring.
The possibility of flooding means farmers are making livestock evacuation plans, but there's not a lot else they can do to protect valuable infrastructure.
“Pick it up now and put it up high,” Neunzig said.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's office is telling business owners in flood zones to be prepared.
“Our office strongly recommends flood insurance,” spokesman Rich Roesler wrote in an e-mail. “There is a widespread misconception that regular homeowner and business coverage includes flood coverage.”
But that's not the case. Home and business owners have to buy flood coverage separately.
In King County's Green River Valley, where problems at the Howard Hanson dam make flooding more likely, business owners are having trouble buying flood insurance.
Federal insurance is still available, but that's capped at $500,000 for structural damage and another $500,000 for the contents of a building. And for many companies, that isn't enough coverage.
Other areas aren't experiencing a shortage of flood insurance, Roesler said. He added that most people start with National Flood Insurance coverage, a federal insurance policy sold through local agents.
For business owners who aren't insured for flooding already, now's the time to act. Federal flood coverage takes effect 30 days after signing.
Read Amy Rolph's small-business blog at www.heraldnet.com/TheStorefront. Contact her at 425-339-3029 or arolph@heraldnet.com.
Arlington business owners remember last winter's flooding all too well, right down to the sandbags stacked high around their shops — and how long it took for the floodwater to creep in past the bags.
Now, the chance of another stormy winter has Snohomish County business owners cringing. Forecasts predict it won't be another harsh winter. But that doesn't mean rivers will keep to their banks.
“It's forecasted that we're going to have a moderate El Niño this winter, National Weather Service meteorologist Johnny Burg said. “That means warmer than normal temperatures and dryer than normal.”
He added: “However, that doesn't mean that there isn't going to be flooding.”
That means it's possible that Snohomish County could be in for a repeat of last year, when rivers jumped their banks and caused more than $20 million in damage. State officials are recommending business preparedness, including flood insurance and emergency plans.
Linda Neunzig, owner of Ninety Farms in Arlington, said it's the warm season that can bring heightened flood watches to the nearby Stillaguamish River.
Her farm flooded in January, meaning her animals had to be evacuated and valuables had to be moved to higher storage spots.
When spring came, silt covered her fields, making it harder for crops to grow.
But that was all because of last winter.
“I'm thinking it can't really happen two years in a row,” Neunzig said.
She and other north-county farmers are planing cover crops such as fava beans or wheat. Cover crops add nutrients when they're tilled back into the soil in spring.
The possibility of flooding means farmers are making livestock evacuation plans, but there's not a lot else they can do to protect valuable infrastructure.
“Pick it up now and put it up high,” Neunzig said.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's office is telling business owners in flood zones to be prepared.
“Our office strongly recommends flood insurance,” spokesman Rich Roesler wrote in an e-mail. “There is a widespread misconception that regular homeowner and business coverage includes flood coverage.”
But that's not the case. Home and business owners have to buy flood coverage separately.
In King County's Green River Valley, where problems at the Howard Hanson dam make flooding more likely, business owners are having trouble buying flood insurance.
Federal insurance is still available, but that's capped at $500,000 for structural damage and another $500,000 for the contents of a building. And for many companies, that isn't enough coverage.
Other areas aren't experiencing a shortage of flood insurance, Roesler said. He added that most people start with National Flood Insurance coverage, a federal insurance policy sold through local agents.
For business owners who aren't insured for flooding already, now's the time to act. Federal flood coverage takes effect 30 days after signing.
Read Amy Rolph's small-business blog at www.heraldnet.com/TheStorefront. Contact her at 425-339-3029 or arolph@heraldnet.com.
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