When high waters rose to flood homes and highways, Snoqualmie Valley residents, churches and organizations also rose to the occasion.
The Jan. 7 flood saw an outpouring of volunteer efforts in the Valley to help affected families and start the recovery process.
While officials in Snoqualmie and North Bend are still tallying the material costs of the flood, they took time last week to recognize the magnitude of efforts by volunteers and city employees.
Flood costs
North Bend City Administrator Duncan Wilson said initial estimates suggest the flood will cost that city about $100,000.
That money would be needed to pay for staff overtime and fix damage to roads.
“We’re very lucky here that we did not have the damage that some of our other Valley cities had,” Wilson said. The city is back to normal, but a few streets were hit hard, including Mount Si Boulevard and Pickett Avenue.
North Bend will need King County flood district and FEMA money, and Wilson said that flood fixes are needed outside city limits in the vicinity of Berry Estates and Shamrock Park neighborhoods, where water overtopped the levy and entered the city.
“The county needs to work out the problem,” Wilson said.
Volunteer efforts in North Bend drew about 60 people on the day of the flood.
Most helped fill and transport sandbags at the city’s public works shop. Others were in charge of rounding up chow.
Wilson said the city took calls all day long from po tential volunteers. “Eventually, we had to turn people away,” he said. Those people were asked to call later in case there was a need for help.
While the city sandbagging effort was meant to protect city residents rather than county residents, Wilson said exceptions were made.
“We tried to help if they were in a situation that they needed help,” he said.
Many who helped
Al Frank, parks director for the city of Snoqualmie and a volunteer coordinator during the flood, said the volunteers who aided the city are too numerous to name.
“Community residents were just great,” said Frank, who praised the lines of communication between flood victims, the city, and volunteers.
Groups from the Church on the Ridge, Snoqualmie Valley Alliance Church, and the United Methodist Church, some of whom were dealing with flooding in their own church buildings, helped out. A visiting Buddhist group gave money to residents that were hard-hit by the flooding. Scouts and members of the Mount Si girls basketball squad also pitched a hand.
On Saturday, Jan. 10, about 150 volunteers from the Bellevue South Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints helped in the cleanup. Volunteers from four cities arrived in full rain gear with shovels and pails, after a call for volunteers went out to presiding bishops.
Mayor Matt Larson told the Snoqualmie City Council last week that residents of the Ridge helped residents of the downtown area during and after the flood.
Volunteers helped by picking up debris around the city, loading trailers with trash, and bringing food for city workers and volunteers. Restaurants including Frankie’s Pizza and Sahara Pizza brought pies to feed hungry crowds.
Tribe efforts
The Snoqualmie Tribal Disaster Team, led by former mayor Randy “Fuzzy” Fletcher, volunteered throughout the flood. Tribal members in Carnation and Duvall were isolated, and the Carnation tribal center was cut off. The Tribe’s downtown Snoqualmie building was also closed by the flood, but was not damaged. The Tribe’s North Bend clinic did receive some minor water damage.
“The Tribe had a disaster plan and team in place,” Snoqualmie Tribal Administrator Matt Mattson told the Valley Record. Communication systems and generators kept lines of communication open.
“By all accounts, the Tribe was prepared and it appears that the entire Valley was prepared as best as possible to mobilize resources,” Mattson said. “Unfortunately, the Valley community, including the Tribe, is experienced in responding to flood events.”
A volunteer effort by the Sallal Water Association helped a Valley man pump out water that was on the verge of flooding his property off 177th Street near Cedar Falls Road last weekend.
Association business manager Paul Tredway said that at first, it seemed the man had a broken water main. It turned out that the water was runoff from a nearby hill.
“It got into his garage and his shed, but we were able to save his house,” Tredway said. “We wanted to do the right thing.”
Relief fund
Encompass, the family support center for the Valley, worked with the North Bend branch of Bank of America to create an Encompass Flood Relief Fund to help children and families in need of shelter, clothing, personal effects and cleaning supplies.
Puget Sound Energy was the first contributor, pitching in $1,000 on Thursday, Jan. 15.
Donations can be made to the fund at any Bank of America branch in the state. Families in need can learn about the fund by calling (425) 888-2777.
All donated funds go to families in the Valley.
