Floods traditionally hit the county hard

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, November 12, 2005

Here are some recent floods in Snohomish County:

* October-November 2003: Heavy rains sent the Snohomish, Stillaguamish and Sauk rivers over their banks, causing an estimated $18 million in damage. Forest roads and hiking trails were especially hard hit.

* February 1996: Roads, dikes and levees from Snohomish to Marysville sustained $1.2 million in damage. One man drowned when he drove his pickup truck into floodwaters on Ebey Island.

* November 1995: A large accumulation of early mountain snow melted rapidly when storms moved in from tropical areas, bringing heavy, warm rains. A hunter drowned when trapped by high water near Monroe. Floodwaters destroyed part of the Lowell-Larimer Road outside Snohomish, requiring nearly $9 million in repairs.

* November 1990: A combination of heavy rains and rapidly melting mountain snow brought rising water that caused more than $3.6 million in damage. The Snohomish River reached its highest levels in more than 90 years.

* December 1975: More than 3,000 homes were damaged and 3,500 head of cattle and other livestock were killed when a pumping station collapsed at French Slough. Most of the Snohomish River valley was under water for weeks. Damage was estimated at more than $42 million.

Source: Snohomish County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan