Heavy rain paid a familiar visit to Lewis County and surrounding communities of Western Washington beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 9, unleashing flooding that stranded residents, submerged vehicles and required rescuers to jump into action.
Schools in Morton, White Pass and Toledo were closed on Wednesday following the closure of several roads the previous day, including U.S. Highway 12 at Morton and Randle, state Route 508, Rush Road at Interstate 5, state Route 6 and many others, though many have since reopened.
On Tuesday, the Board of Lewis County Commissioners declared a state of emergency, providing county departments with special rights to spend money and take actions without the normal procedures in pursuit of protecting and rescuing county citizens during flooding.
Late Monday night into early Tuesday morning, at least five vehicles — including a semi-truck — were submerged on Rush Road in Napavine as the Newaukum River swelled beyond its banks and choked area roadways.
Personnel from Lewis County Fire District 5 came to the aid of the motorists and produced a message that would be consistent from emergency officials throughout the day.
“Please do not drive through flood water!” the fire district wrote online. “Please stay safe today and in the coming days!”
No one was injured. But it wasn’t the only rescue by District 5. Officials at the Napavine fire district told The Seattle Times a family of six that included four children were rescued from their home after it was inundated by flood water. Their home in the 400 block of Hamilton Road took on more than a foot of water, according to the report.
In East Lewis County, rescues became somewhat commonplace early this week, with Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope reporting that a swift water rescue team that includes the sheriff’s office had rescued “over a dozen people from dangerous flood waters” by Tuesday afternoon.
Those rescues occurred mostly along the Cowlitz River in the Randle and Packwood areas.
After navigating a detour to reach Randle as the highway remained closed Tuesday afternoon, journalists with The Chronicle witnessed one such rescue after a man shouted for help from a fifth wheel surrounded by water.
The swift water rescue team used a small boat to rescue Barbara Bennett and Mel Romero and bring them to dry land.
The Cora Bridge area along Highway 12 is historically flood-prone, and with elevated flows expected on the Cowlitz River, officials warn that access through the area could close with little notice.
Double crest
While Tuesday provided plenty of excitement for emergency response officials, it was far from the end of the ordeal.
A second round of heavy rain — atmospheric rivers, in meteorological terminology — was expected to arrive Tuesday night into Wednesday, bringing rivers that had begun to recede on Tuesday back to flood stage.
“Lewis County is bracing for the second — and likely more severe — round of flooding beginning later this afternoon and continuing through Wednesday night,” Lewis County Emergency Management wrote in its Tuesday night update. “This next surge of heavy rain is expected to cause higher river crests and greater impacts than what we’ve already experienced.”
Concern on Wednesday morning was mostly centered on the Cowlitz River at Packwood and Randle, where water levels were expected to return to major flood status through Friday in many areas.
Lewis County officials reminded residents to not drive through standing water on roadways or past road closure signs and to understand that this is a “long-duration” event. On Wednesday morning, officials noted that, outside of the Cowlitz River, other area waterways — including the Chehalis, Newawukum and Skookumchuck rivers — were seeing lower predicted highs in Wednesday morning projections, but just slightly.
“We know it’s exhausting. Long events can lead to complacency — but please keep your guard up,” Lewis County Emergency Management wrote in its Wednesday morning update, noting officials were keeping a watchful eye on rising rivers. “One day at a time, and we’ll get through it. When things get wild, we rally. We show up for each other. We prove what community looks like. We appreciate you — truly. Stay safe, stay dry, and keep looking out for one another.”
Flooding in Centralia, Chehalis
Other than flooding caused by major rivers in the region, smaller streams also caused seasonal issues.
China Creek spilled out of its banks Monday night into Tuesday, inundating the area west of Pearl Street and closing several roadways, including Main Street. By Wednesday morning, the water level had fallen, but the return of heavy rain was expected to potentially cause more flooding.
Likewise, Salzer Creek caused flooding over Kresky Avenue and other areas near the Centralia-Chehalis border. The public works departments of Centralia and Chehalis worked together to create a detour Tuesday afternoon, converting National/Gold Street into a two-way (north/south) street from Hampe Way to Summa Street.
Low-lying areas of Chehalis were also struck by flooding, including the Lewis County Gospel Mission and the Chehalis Avenue Apartments, where evacuations took place on Tuesday afternoon.
Where rivers stood on Wednesday
Here’s what river projections showed as of Wednesday morning.
See updated river readings online at https://rivers.lewiscountywa.gov/#/.
• Cowlitz River at Packwood: The latest river gauge reports show the river has nearly reached major flood stage at 11.98 feet after experiencing moderate stage flooding on Tuesday and then receding. At Packwood, the river is projected to reach 13.31 feet by around 4 a.m. Thursday before beginning to recede. The record for flooding on the river at Packwood is 14.6 feet.
• Cowlitz River at Randle: Like the gauges at Packwood, reports out of Randle show the Cowlitz River climbing back into the major flood stage on Wednesday morning and potentially reaching a level of 23.98 feet by 10 a.m. Thursday before receding to moderate levels on Friday afternoon and evening. The record for flooding on the Cowlitz at Randle is 25.2 feet.
• Newaukum River at Chehalis: After coming within inches of record flooding on Tuesday at 205.36 feet (the record is 205.5 feet) the river dropped back down to minor levels overnight. But the Newaukum, too, is again on the rise, according to river readings. It is expected to climb back up to moderate flooding levels, peaking at around 205.03 feet by 4 p.m. Wednesday. Continuing rain is predicted to keep the river at moderate flood stage until it begins to recede again at around 10 a.m. Thursday.
• Chehalis River at Doty: The flooding appears to have run its course on the Chehalis River at Doty. It reached the minor flood stage on Tuesday but quickly fell below the action phase. It’s expected to rise on Wednesday, but not to a level that requires action by residents and emergency officials.
• Chehalis River at Centralia: No flooding is expected here, as the river is near its crest just below the minor flood stage as of Wednesday morning.
• Chehalis River at Grand Mound: The river here has reached moderate flood levels — and it is expected to stay in that range until Friday afternoon. It is predicted to peak at 143.13 feet on Thursday afternoon before slowly receding. It’s not expected to be below flood stage until Saturday morning.
• Skookumchuck River at Bucoda: The river at Bucoda saw a significant drop below flood levels on Tuesday night after coming just shy of moderate flooding on Tuesday morning. It is expected to rise quickly Wednesday into Thursday, reaching the moderate flood stage by Wednesday afternoon and remaining at those levels into Friday.
• Skookumchuck River at Centralia: No flooding is expected in this area of the river, though it is predicted to rise into the action phase beginning today and lasting through Thursday afternoon before beginning to recede.
Shelters
The American Red Cross has opened a flooding evacuation shelter at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 2190 Jackson Highway, Chehalis, for those who have been displaced due to flooding. Anyone impacted by flooding is welcome to get a warm meal, connect with others and find support.
Other flood shelter locations open in Lewis County as of Tuesday afternoon were:
• Packwood Senior Center has beds available for those in or around Packwood who are displaced due to flooding. Call Ron Blankenship at 360-508-0470 for more information.
• The Salvation Army’s night-by-night shelter at 2015 NE Kresky Ave. in Chehalis is open as an emergency flood shelter. The Salvation Army’s Centralia location at 303 N. Gold Street is continuing its regular services.
• Valhalla Canine Rescue in Evaline has space for people to bring their livestock or themselves to get out of the floodwaters. The property has a pasture, fenced areas, kennels, crates and parking for RVs. Text 253-363-7908 or contact the organization via Facebook messenger for more information. Updates will be posted at https://www.facebook.com/valhallacaninerescue.
• The Evergreen State Fair Park in Snohomish County is also offering emergency stabling for anyone who needs to evacuate livestock due to flooding. For more information, visit https://www.evergreenfair.org/292.
Sandbags
Self-serve sandbag locations (bring your own shovel):
Lewis County and other governmental entities have opened self-serve sandbag locations throughout the county. They are as follows:
• Chehalis (Lewis County): 350 W. Main St. (in the brick garage at the corner of Main Street and Cascade Avenue).
• Randle (Lewis County): Kiona Shop at 8911 U.S. Highway 12, Randle (between Morton and Packwood).
• Centralia (City of Centralia): Corner of Center Street and Tower Avenue.
• Toledo (Fire District 2): Fire station at 150 Second St., Toledo; 360-864-2366.
• Winlock (Fire District 15): Fire station on SW Kerron Ave., Winlock; 360-785-4221.
• Vader (Fire District 20): Fire station at 801 B St., Vader; 360-295-0906.
• Pe Ell (Fire District 11): Fire station at 721 N. Main St., Pe Ell.
• Onalaska (Fire District 1): 1733 state Route 508, Onalaska.
• Mossyrock: 500 block of Larson Road, Silver Creek.
• Ashford (Pierce County Fire District 23): Big Creek Fire Station at 136 Osborn Road, Ashford.
More information on flooding
• The Lewis County Department of Emergency Management’s page at https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/emergency-management/ includes county-specific flood information, including links to the following:
• Lewis County Rivers (https://rivers.lewiscountywa.gov): Includes forecasts and real-time look at rivers as well as comparisons to historic floods.
• Lewis County Road Conditions (https://roads.lewiscountywa.gov ): Includes updates regarding road closures, etc.
• Lewis County Alert: Sign up for emergency alerts, which would be sent to notify residents of road closures, evacuations, etc.
Emergency officials advise residents to heed the “turn around, don’t drown” warning, noting that 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over and carry away an adult while 12 inches can carry away a small car and 18-24 inches can carry away most large SUVs, vans and trucks.
With strong winds also in the forecast, officials warned residents to secure loose outdoor objects, steer clear of downed trees and power lines and prepare for power outages.
To report roadway flooding, call the county’s non-emergency line at 360-740-1105.
To report a Lewis County PUD outage, call 360-748-9261.
To report a City Light power outage (for residents within Centralia city limits) call 360-330-7512 (during regular business hours) or 360-736-7040 (after hours).
