Lewis County river levels will rise again early this week; however, local authorities say flooding is not expected to return to last week's highs.
Instead, recovery and cleanup is in full swing.
Peak flooding hit different parts of Lewis County last week between Monday and Thursday.
The Lewis County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office first focused on rescues and emergency response — primarily on the east side of Lewis County along the Cowlitz River in Randle and Packwood.
Water levels began to recede slowly Thursday, and county authorities have now switched into recovery mode. DEM released an announcement Thursday providing county residents with resources and phone numbers to contact in the wake of the disaster.
On Friday, the Lewis County Sheriff's Office reported that it had sent its swift water rescue team home Thursday after it responded to calls nearly constantly during and immediately after peak flooding.
“Our swift water rescue team ended last evening. We had them looking through last evening,” Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Field Operations Chief Rick Van Wyck said. “We have guys on standby in case we need them.”
At the time, Van Wyck said the sheriff’s office — with the help of the swift water rescue team and local fire districts — had rescued at least 18 individuals on the east side of the county near Randle and another eight to 10 on the west side of the county, mostly in the area of Hamilton and Labree Roads area.
Van Wyck added that the sheriff’s office would continue coordinating with DEM to provide assistance for recovery efforts. The office has helicopter teams as well as swift water rescue teams from other counties on standby for additional help as well.
As of Friday of last week, roughly 11 isolated communities became the top focus for DEM. According to the department's deputy director, Erika Katt, at least that many communities were cut off from the outside world due to high water — mostly around Randle and Packwood. At the time, Katt said the county was organizing a flyover to identify as many communities as possible that may need supplies.
DEM is also organizing recovery efforts throughout the rest of the county. The department released a flyer on Friday with a list of resources for county residents impacted by flooding. The department is urging residents to report flood damage as quickly as possible by calling the county’s hotline at 360-740-2600. To find a list of the resources on the DEM website, visit https://tinyurl.com/47uzktxk.
The county is also warning residents to beware of contaminated septic systems and water wells. Residents drinking from wells should boil and sanitize water with eight drops of bleach per gallon.
For residents looking to begin cleanup and repairs, the county asks that homeowners document the damages with photos and videos before major cleanup. The county also offers vouchers for free disposal of flood damage debris. Disposal is available at the Old Hampton Mill site in Packwood, the Lewis County Central Transfer Station in Centralia and the East Lewis County Transfer Station in Morton.
Finally, the county asks that residents reach out to the county’s Community Development Department at 360-740-2696 before beginning any repairs. Most repairs to buildings and structures require permits. However, removal of debris, filling holes in roofs walls and foundations to prevent immediate weather damage, removing sagging ceilings and other immediately necessary work to prevent further weather damage is allowed without a permit, according to the county.
As recovery is underway, more rain is expected, with forecasts showing water levels rising again in East Lewis County and other more remote areas through the middle of the week. Levels are not expected to return to the peaks of last week, though minor to moderate flooding could occur.
Randle is expected to return to moderate flood levels on Wednesday, and Packwood is expected to return to minor flooding levels. Areas south of the Mayfield Dam owned by Tacoma Power are expected to see water levels stay the same for at least the next week as the dam maintains its current water release levels.
