Water inundates much of Stillaguamish Valley

Published 11:44 pm Thursday, January 8, 2009

STANWOOD — Jon and Anita Fair rested on Red Cross emergency shelter cots set up at New View Church on the hill above downtown.

Minutes before, the couple, who live in a motor home south of the city, had been picked up by North County Fire/EMS and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office water rescue teams.

The Fairs escaped the flooding Stillaguamish River on Thursday without their wallets, cell phones and coats. They didn’t even have their shoes.

Instead of crying, they laughed.

“Life is an adventure,” Jon Fair said. “And we are very fortunate.”

Most of the Stillaguamish Valley was under water. Throughout the day, county and local rescue crews made more than five water rescues from homes on Thomle and Boe roads and Marine Drive.

“We hope those who didn’t call us for help are OK,” North County Fire Battalion Chief Christian Davis said. “Right now, we have no way of knowing.”

The Fairs had planned to leave their home Wednesday evening and go to higher ground. They moved too slowly.

“The water rose so quickly,” Anita Fair said. “Part of the problem is that when we had flooding this past fall, it was kind of a joke. And then all of a sudden we were trapped.”

The Fairs spent the night at a neighbor’s house and called for help Thursday morning. They fear their motor home and car are ruined by water, and were making calls from the Red Cross shelter to alert their adult children.

“It’s all just stuff. Maybe we can clean the motor home out,” she said. “I won’t cry because that would not do anything.”

Stanwood may have saved itself from the worst of the flooding thanks to help from about 500 volunteers who filled more than 10,000 sandbags in just a few hours, Mayor Dianne White said. People of all ages, alerted by Web sites and a flashing sign along the highway, came from throughout the county to help out, fire department officials said.

The parking lot at Index Sensors and Controls in a business park near the Haggen shopping area was a flurry of sandbag shoveling, stacking and hauling away.

Sean Kelsey of the Everett Corps of the Salvation Army fed the sandbaggers.

Among them were friends Allison Pavish, Taylor Monetti and Rozalynn Muscolo, all students at Port Susan Middle School.

“We did not have school, so we didn’t know what else to do but come and help out,” said Allison, 13.

Along Highway 532 in downtown Stanwood, state Department of Corrections inmates helped stack sandbags and build up the temporary berm that kept the floodwaters from pouring into downtown.

The community teamwork was praised by Jeff Hofstad, Stanwood-Camano’s assistant fire chief, at the city’s temporary emergency operations center at the Pioneer Highway fire hall.

“Everyone is working hard to stay ahead of the game,” Hofstad said.

Late Thursday afternoon, city crews closed the eastbound lane of the highway in order to build a parallel berm to shore up soft spots in the fill dirt between 88th Avenue NW and 92nd Avenue NW. Westbound traffic continued to travel through to Camano Island.

The city’s wastewater treatment plant was operating, however slowly, city officials said.

Downtown, business owners placed sandbags in front of their doors and residents were encouraged to evacuate.

More than 200 residents of Josephine Sunset Home camped out Thursday afternoon at Stanwood High School, enjoying videotapes of “I Love Lucy” in the commons and lunching in the cafeteria.

Resident Thelma Christofferson said she was impressed with the coordination between the retirement home, the school and Red Cross officials, who moved people from the home in downtown up the hill to the school during a three-hour span Wednesday evening. Since Stanwood schools canceled classes again for today, Josephine Sunset residents were expected to stay a second night at the school.

The high school is the place the retirement home always goes in times of flooding, Josephine Sunset nursing director Chelsey Smith said.

“We could stay downtown and hope the dikes hold, but we don’t want to do any water rescues,” Smith said. “It’s just easier to be prepared.”

Throughout Thursday, flood watchers crowded onto a spot along on Pioneer Highway overlooking downtown.

Among them was Erin Nguyen, whose father, Gary Buse, owns Forest Land Services, a landscaping and heating operation. The business, located at the bottom of the bluff, was inundated.

“In the 25 years my dad has owned the business, the water had never before gotten inside the building,” Nguyen said. “They have about 6 inches now, and they’re doing everything they can to save some of the merchandise and equipment.”

People also stood at the top of Miller Road near the Stanwood-Camano Fairgrounds and watched the rushing water.

John McAdams, who grew up in the Stanwood area, shook his head as he looked on. It’s a major flood, he said.

“But this is nothing new for the old timers,” he said. “Unless they just moved here, most people know what to do, and they probably are safe.”

Reporter Sharon Salyer contributed to this report.

Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.