Snohomish County, state officials assess damage

Published 11:55 am Tuesday, December 4, 2007

As rivers in Snohomish County begin to recede, officials are starting to tally the damage here and statewide.

Emergency officials were keeping a close eye on the Snohomish River this morning, but only moderate flooding was predicted.

Gov. Chris Gregoire planned to view storm-ravaged areas of Lewis, Mason and Grays Harbor counties by helicopter this morning before landing at Chehalis High School to meet with people rescued from their flooded homes Monday.

She will view a portion of I-5 near Centralia closed because flood waters 10 feet deep were covering the major north-to-south route between Seattle and Portland. The closure could last until the weekend and cars are being detoured 100s of miles through Yakima.

“Yesterday was about how do we contain the problems. Today it is the human story that we’re beginning to see,” she said. The governor said there are three confirmed deaths as a result of the storm, one in Mason County and two in Grays Harbor County.

Gregoire said she will seek a federal declaration of emergency when more information on the extent of damage is known.

Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management officials said people should carefully assess private property damage and call in to report damage amounts. This information is used to help get federal aid should a federal disaster be declared, said Brian Parry, a county spokesman.

Most of the damage in the county so far was caused by urban flooding on Monday.

Many streets around Snohomish County continue to be blocked by standing water.

Seattle Hill Road near Mill Creek likely will be closed for weeks after a culvert collapsed washing away the road.

Ben Howard Road in Monroe was closed as were many others.

In Mukilteo on Monday, waters pooled up around the sides of Mukilteo Speedway where it intersects with Goat Trail Road, officials said.

State and city transportation officials worried the floodwaters could damage the integrity of the roadway, but further examination showed the road to be stable, Mukilteo City Council President Jennifer Gregerson said.

The city of Mukilteo alone fielded roughly 100 calls from residents reporting issues such as basement flooding and water over roadways, Gregerson said.

Rain and wind is forecast to let up this afternoon and officials plan to lift flood warnings by 3:30 p.m.

In Snohomish on Monday, raw sewage mixed with stormwater spilled through a manhole cover near the Sixth Street Bridge, public works director Tim Heydon said. A sewage pipeline became filled with water and the overflow began at about 10 a.m.

Crews closed the bridge and placed some sandbags nearby to channel the flow into the Snohomish River, Heydon said. The overflow stopped at about 4 a.m. Tuesday.

The sewage was “really diluted” and only minor cleanup will be required, he said.

Like most cities, Snohomish has several designated areas where sewage is allowed to spill out if the system gets overwhelmed, but the spot of Monday’s overflow is not one of them, Heydon said. The state Department of Ecology and the Snohomish Health District were notified, he said.

“This was something new and different,” Heydon said.