Snohomish County officials are worried that many residents aren’t taking flooding seriously enough.
“People don’t seem to think that this is as big an event” as the devastating floods of 1990, said John Pennington, the county’s emergency management director.
“What they need to understand is that this right now has met and probably exceeded 1990 in some areas,” he said.
And by Wednesday, the flooding could break records, he added.
“The weather modeling for this has been deadly accurate.”
Many people living in flood-prone areas may not be fully aware of the dangers. The county has experienced tremendous population growth since the 1990.
“For new residents, lean on the neighbors who know this system,” Pennington said.
Planners were particularly concerned about the county’s dikes, which they hoped will contain rivers that aren’t supposed to begin cresting until sometime Tuesday.
The dikes and levees that hold the Snohomish and Stillaguamish rivers are designed to handle rivers flowing at 95,000 cubic feet of water per second. Forecasts call for flows of up to 150,000 cubic square feet, said Vaughn Collins, the county’s hydraulics engineer.
People living in areas protected by the dikes and levees “need to be ready to react,” said Steve Thomsen, public works director. “They need to start planning now.”
The county’s emergency operations center was in full swing Monday. County Executive Aaron Reardon declared a state of emergency shortly before 11 a.m., giving the county access to additional state and federal resources.
Reardon said people in flooding areas should not stall, but evacuate. “We’re encouraging folks to use good judgment,” he said.
Phones were constantly ringing Monday night at the emergency call center from people seeking help with pets or getting out of their waterlogged homes.
Anyone with questions about evacuating or other flood preparations can call the operations center at 425-388-5060.
The Evergreen State Fairgrounds is housing livestock, while Pasado’s Safe Haven is helping residents find room for pets. Evacuation centers do not allow pets.
People evacuating should take enough clothing for two to three days.
Meanwhile, the county also was working with the city of Stanwood and other agencies on a plan to evacuate about 160 people in low-lying areas, including Camano Island. The area could get hit from both sides by rising waters from the Stillaguamish River and tides.
Emergency efforts were being coordinated by about 50 staff and volunteers from the American Red Cross, Snohomish County Public Works Surface Water Management, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit, among others.
Pennington said the cooperation and coordination has been fruitful.
The Washington State Patrol, for example, helped rescuers navigate past a two-mile backup east of Monroe to deliver sandbags in the Sultan area.
Even as the county works on rescues, it’s also planning for recovery efforts.
“This won’t be over until a few days after the water recedes,” Reardon said.
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