Damage from widespread flooding in Snohomish County is expected to exceed $20 million, county officials said Friday.
That comes on top of an estimated $7 million in damage and costs associated with the cleanup of the record snowstorm that crippled the county just weeks earlier.
“I think the numbers are going to blow us away,” said John Pennington, director of emergency management for the county.
He believes damage “will quite easily exceed” that caused by record flooding in 2006. That year, rushing water caused about $20 million of damage to roads, homes and businesses.
At least 500 homes and 60 roads have been flooded. Most are near the Pilchuck River in Snohomish, in Stanwood and Arlington, county officials said.
Huge swaths of the county remained underwater Friday. Homes and farms stuck out of the water like tiny islands.
Highway 9 remained closed at Snohomish on Friday.
Pennington said his staff will soon begin the process of applying for federal relief for damage from last month’s snowstorm and this week’s flooding.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., toured flood-ravaged Snohomish on Friday. She promised to seek federal funding to help clean up.
Murray said the devastation caused by the flooding makes a case that federal money for improving the economy and enhancing the nation’s infrastructure also must be directed toward shoring up the levees that protect people and businesses in communities along rivers.
“The human impact is the first thing I think of when I look out at the families watching from their (flooded) homes,” Murray said.
Despite the damage, Pennington said county crews and residents have done an excellent job responding. There were fewer rescues and emergency evacuations compared with flooding two years ago. People were alerted early to the threat of looming floodwaters and seemed to heed the warning.
“The people in this county clearly respect rising water,” Pennington said. “That is a success. They have been amazingly patient between the snow and this. People deserve our gratitude.”
Pennington said he toured flood-stricken areas Thursday night and was amazed by the sheer volume of water in the river valleys. The vista from Arlington to Stanwood on Thursday afternoon was like standing on the shore and looking out on the ocean, he said. The Snohomish River Valley looked like a bathtub Friday.
“In all my years of doing this, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
Pennington blamed the recent rains that pounded the county. Since Sunday, more than 15 inches of rain have fallen in most parts of the county and the Cascade foothills, he said. The rivers filled up and spilled their banks, in places at record levels. On top of the sheer quantity of water, parts of the county still had snow on the ground.
The ground was partially frozen and there was nowhere for the water to go.
The Snohomish River isn’t expected to recede anytime soon. It hit flood stage early Wednesday, crested in Snohomish at 33.47 feet at 10:30 p.m. Thursday and is expected to remain in flood stage until Sunday morning.
Pressure on levees
If forecasts prove accurate, that means levees restraining the river will have been soaking in floodwaters for more than 50 hours.
Pennington said emergency crews plan to continue to keep close watch on the Snohomish River, concerned that the levees may be worked beyond their capacities.
“That’s the remaining concern for us,” he said.
The Snohomish River is fed by the Snoqualmie River, which reached 62.31 feet at Carnation — a foot above the record.
“Once we saw what was going on with the Tolt and Snoqualmie (rivers), we knew we were in for a ride,” Pennington said.
Zonia Machuca waited out the flood Friday with her daughter at a Red Cross shelter in The Rock Church in Monroe.
Machuca, 17, arrived at the shelter Thursday evening after finally deciding to leave her mobile home at the Three Rivers Mobile Home Park downstream of Monroe.
Machuca and her husband moved their cars away from the rising water and saved some clothing, but could not move their trailer home. Afraid of sleeping inside, the family spent Wednesday night in the family van.
“We heard the news that it would probably be flooded,” Machuca said. “We were hoping that it wouldn’t.”
They woke up the next morning to floodwaters.
Machuca saw a neighbor’s washing machine being swept away by the current. Rescuers in a boat had to save three people trapped in a car surrounded by water.
Coverage of rescues, including the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office efforts using hovercraft, made national news Friday. So far, there have been no reports of deaths or injuries connected to the flooding.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued Friday to work on repairing a hole the size of a small house in a dike on Ebey Island. Workers trucked in rock and built earthworks, trying to contain floodwaters.
“We’re winning the battle slowly,” said Noel Gilbrough, assistant flood engineer for the Snohomish basin of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Ebey Island resident Bruce King spent Friday loading 60 pigs, five cows, 300 turkeys and 150 chickens onto trailers.
“The workers on the dike think they might have the water shut off in a few hours,” King said Friday afternoon. “Maybe it’ll work; maybe not. I have to do what I need to do to make sure all my animals are safe and ready to go if need be.”
The rest of the network of dikes and levees on the Snohomish held strong Friday.
Roads inspected
As floodwaters began to recede Friday, public works crews scrambled to evaluate streets and bridges for damage before reopening them for traffic.
There’s a chance Highway 9 may reopen today, but it’s more likely to reopen Monday, Snohomish Police Chief John Turner said.
Traffic was tangled along the U.S. 2 trestle and in Marysville on Friday as people sought alternate routes.
Today, city of Snohomish workers expect to try to fix a waterline just outside town, damaged when the usually placid Pilchuck River went wild.
The city issued a boil-water notice to 93 customers affected by the break.
People are expected to continue returning to their homes over the next few days to assess the mess and try to sleep in their own beds.
In Stanwood, city officials canceled a voluntary evacuation advisory and began encouraging residents to return to their homes Friday.
“We’ve held the water, and the high-water threat has passed. People can return to their homes and get on with their lives,” said Mike Simmons, emergency manager for Stanwood-Camano Island Fire Department.
Floodwaters remained high at Stanwood, but officials are seeing it recede a bit. They plan to continue to keep up the barriers that were erected to protect Highway 532 and a residential area in town. The water is expected to stick around.
One to 2 inches of rain is expected in the mountains today. However, even with minimal rain, so much water now fills the river valleys in the county that it will take time to drain.
“There’s so much water in the Stillaguamish Valley, and we’re at the bottom end. The water is going to be here awhile,” Simmons said.
Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.
The American Red Cross offers these tips as floodwaters recede and people return to their homes and workplaces:
Do not enter any building if floodwaters remain around the building. Floodwaters often undermine foundations. Floors can crack or break and buildings can collapse.
Buildings may have hidden damage that makes them unsafe. Look for loose power lines, broken or damaged gas lines, foundation cracks or other damage. See if porch roofs and overhangs still have all their supports.
Look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell burning insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit.
Check for gas leaks. If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and get everyone outside quickly. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor’s home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.
Never use a portable generator in an enclosed or partially enclosed space, including in your home or in a garage, basement, crawl space or other partially enclosed area, even with ventilation. Keep generators outdoors and away from any doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
Throw away food that has come in contact with floodwaters. If the cans are dented or damaged, throw them away. Food contaminated by floodwaters can cause severe infections.
If water is of questionable purity, boil or add bleach and distill drinking water before using. Wells inundated by floodwaters should be pumped out and the water tested for purity before drinking. If in doubt, call your local public health authority.
Follow public health guidance on safe cleanup of materials in contact with floodwaters.
If you come upon a barricade warning of high water, turn around and go another way. If you come upon floodwaters, do not drive through them; the road could be washed out underneath. Of those who die in flooding, 80 percent are in vehicles.
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