Rain clouds cleared and water retreated from street, parks, back yards and homes in the Valley on Thursday, Nov. 13, leaving some people with waterlogged basements, flooded fields or stacks of sandbags to dispose of.
Flood warnings remained in effect, and some Valley roads remained closed the day after water rose above street level in parts of Snoqualmie, North Bend, Fall City and Carnation. Snoqualmie neighborhoods including Pickering Court, Walnut, Spruce, Park and Mountain Avenues, and Mountain Drive had to be evacuated, as did residents of parts of Fall City.
High water that flooded the Valley Wednesday, Nov. 12, crested late in the day, with a peak of a bout 45,000 cubic feet per second rushing over Snoqualmie Falls about 5 p.m. that day.
“We dodged a pretty huge bullet,” said Snoqualmie Police Chief Jim Schaffer.
The day after the flood, most roads in Snoqualmie had opened, with the exception of Northern Street, still under three feet of water. City infrastructure was fine, fresh water and power unaffected by the previous day’s flood.
The flood had been predicted to outdo the Election Day flood of 2006. However, the river crested at about 10,000 cfs lower than the previous flood event.
“The biggest problem we had were drivers, people driving through water they shouldn’t have been,” Schaffer said. “Lookie-loos, the people that wanted to come and see, were just abundant.”
Some vehicles may have been able to make it down water-filled streets, but the main reason not to drive down flooded streets, Schaffer said, was the wakes that moving cars leave behind. The waters could wash into people’s homes, flooding them.
Around the Valley
The day after the storm, all roads were open in North Bend and no flooding damage had been reported, said Ron Garrow, the city’s public works director.
The city did not declare a state of emergency, but did lead a sandbagging effort near the Mount Si Senior Center.
About 70 people dropped by the city’s emergency operations center to volunteer, Garrow said. Some were referred to Snoqualmie
“We got off pretty well,” Garrow said.
Eastside Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Josie Williams said about eight people had taken refuge Wednesday evening in a Red Cross emergency shelter at the Preston Park Community Center.
Fall City Fire Chief Chris Conner said his department had no significant flood-related calls.
“It was pretty non-eventful,” he said.
Some roads were still closed in the area Thursday afternoon, and Connor expected them to stay closed for a while as waters receded.
He said some residents in the area had their road access cut off, but chose to stay in their homes, which were high and dry.
In the flood
At the height of the flooding, a crowd of volunteers gathered at the King Street parking lot in Snoqualmie to fill sandbags for anyone who needed them, free of charge.
Snoqualmie Ridge resident Kathleen Keating spent Wednesday morning in the rain, sandbagging with her family. The bags were used by residents who needed them, including North Fork resident Mike Ylenni.
“It’s coming in my yard,” said Ylenni. The water was breaking in waves on his property, and the sandbags were to help protect it.
Keating, whose children also worked in the rain to prepare sandbags, said her Ridge residence was safe from flooding. Still, she planned to keep filling “till my body can’t.”
‘We need to evacuate’
“They told us we needed to evacuate,” said Jesse Holen, a resident at the Park Street trailer park in Snoqualmie. The river had reached about two feet from his home by the time Holen had packed his car.
“I’ve got a 19-month-old kid in the house; I can’t gamble,” said Holen, who planned to seek shelter by calling an emergency number.
“We’re taking out everything,” said Carlos Fernandez, who also lives at the trailer park. “We lost a lot last time: TVs, everything.”
He lived through the last flood in 2006.
“This is the last time,” Fernandez said.
The evacuation order for Snoqualmie was canceled Thursday.
“Everyone is able to go back to their homes,” said Snoqualmie communications coordinator Joan Pliego.
Amazing sight
At the Mount Si Road bridge in North Bend, father and son Joe and Eli Murphy of North Bend pointed out fast-moving trees and logs moving downriver.
“It’s cool,” Eli said.
“This is a great position to see it,” Joe Murphy said. “It’s been interesting.”
Murphy noticed that logs placed along the riverbank by the county had already gone into motion as the water rose.
“I’ve lived here all my life,” Murphy said. “I’ve seen it a lot higher than this.”
The sight of the raging waters plunging over Snoqualmie Falls Thursday was hard to describe for Randy Keller of Maple Valley.
Like all visitors to the Falls overlook, Keller was soaked in seconds by the spray of the Falls, which created its own mini-rainstorm.
“I was in there a minute,” said Keller, whose face, hair and clothing were dripping with mist. “That was all it took.”
“It’s fantastic,” said Issaquah resident Suzanne Evans, who smiled despite being caught in the spray. “It’s great to have the sun after a few days of horrible rain.”
Help and resources
The Snoqualmie Valley School District resumed classes on Friday, Nov.14.
A temporary warming shelter opened for several hours on Wednesday, closing that evening. Both Snoqualmie and North Bend fired up their emergency operations centers. The Snoqualmie emergency center planned to remain open through Friday, Nov. 14. Snoqualmie flood updates are available on the city Web site at www.ci.snoqualmie.wa.us and on local 1650 AM in the Snoqualmie/North Bend area.
Report damage
Homeowners, renters and businesses who experienced damage in the flood should call their local emergency operations center to report damages. Flood damage should be reported immediately, so that the state can determine whether federal assistance should be sought.
The Snoqualmie Emergency Operations Center can be reached at (425) 888-5911. The North Bend Emergency Operations Center can be reached at (425) 888-0486, option #1.
Road closure updates are available on the King County Web site, www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/roads/roadalert/default.aspx.
Tips on staying healthy during a flooding disaster are available at www.osha.gov/OshDoc/flood-tornado-recovery.html#fact
Sandbags can be taken to the Snoqualmie Public Works Department,
Post-flooding tips
As flood waters begin to recede, the American Red Cross offers some safety tips to help residents at home or work after flooding.
· Stay out of any building if flood waters remain around the building. Floodwaters often undermine foundations, causing sinking, floors can crack or break and buildings can collapse.
· Avoid entering any building (home, business, or other) before local officials have said it is safe to do so. 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. Locate generators outdoors and away from any doors, windows, and vents which could allow Carbon Monoxide (CO) to come indoors. Generators can produce high levels of deadly CO very quickly.
· Throw away food that has come in contact with flood waters. If the cans are dented or damaged, throw them away. Food contaminated by floodwaters can cause severe infections. When in doubt, throw it out.
· If water is of questionable purity, boil or add bleach, and distill drinking water before using. Wells inundated by flood waters should be pumped out and the water tested for purity before drinking. If in doubt, call your local public health authority. Ill health effects often occur when people drink water contaminated with bacteria and germs.
· Follow public health guidance on safe cleanup of materials in contact with floodwaters.
· Eighty percent of those people who die as a result of flooding are in vehicles. If you come upon a barricade, turn around and go another way. If you come upon flood waters, do not drive through them; the road could be washed out underneath.
