Video: Snoqualmie Valley remains soggy mess

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SEATTLE – Flood waters in many Western Washington areas are receding, but some areas are still under water as officials begin the work of assessing the damage and cleaning up the mess left behind.

The only two rivers still above flood stage Friday evening are the Snoqualmie River near Carnation and the Snohomish River near Monroe and Snohomish.

Cleanup continues in Carnation, where the Snoqualmie River crested 6 feet above flood level Thursday. Some homes are still flooded out, and city workers in Duvall say waters may still be rising.

Further north, the Snoqualmie River in Duvall City is still swallowing many side roads, but there are no evacuations under way and most homes are dry. 

Outside Everett along the Snohomish Fiver, log jams are forming under the Highway 2 trestle. Officials say debris floating downstream and a high tide is causing water to back up. 

The state is standing by with heavy equipment to clear away any problems.

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Areas flooded by overflowing rivers now begin the tasks of cleaning up and assessing the damage.

Although the water is receding, it still took a boat to get 88-year-old Donald Davis home Thursday afternoon. His house is surrounded by flood water. He has six inches of water in his living room.

"We lucked out this time. Last time there was 21 inches in here,” said Davis.

He’s been through this before – more than 57 times.

In 1990, FEMA required Davis to buy flood insurance for $300 a month. It was a smart move. On his social security fixed income, this could have been a financial disaster.

The forecast calls for mostly dry weather this weekend. That should keep rivers receding and help dry out areas saturated by repeated rains.

Counties switch to recovery mode

Emergency operations centers across Western Washington switched from flood response to cleanup and assessment mode Thursday afternoon.

“Our major rivers – the Snohomish, Skykomish and Stillaguamish – are starting to recede and it doesn’t look like there’s going to be any major overtopping of the dikes,” said Steve Thomsen, Snohomish Co. Public Works,

As of noon Thursday, about 14 roads in Snohomish County remained closed, down from a high of 24 roads. Some of those road closures trapped people in their homes between Monroe and Sultan.

Pierce County also switched into damage assessment mode Thursday as water levels on the Carbon, Nisqually and Puyallup rivers receded.

The Army Corps of Engineers have been working along the Puyallup River to shore up the levees. At daybreak 16 dump trucks began making round-trips between the river banks and a nearby quarry, bringing crushed rocks that will add 6 or so inches to the levees along the Puyallup.

Public works crews in Pierce County Thursday afternoon were working to secure two areas where the levee washed out near Orting – a one hundred foot stretch on the Puyallup River in the Neadham Road area and approximately 75 feet on the Carbon River near 184th Street East.

Roads cut off

Highway 203 between Fall City and Carnation is back open after flood waters shut it down Wednesday evening, but other roads near Highway 203 were still shut down Thursday afternoon. Dozens of roads in King County also remained closed.

King County Emergency Management spokesperson Lynn Miller reminds drivers not to drive through flooded roads. That is the leading cause of flood deaths in Washington.

Flooding also forced the closure of U.S. 12 near Randle in Lewis County due to rising water from nearby Davis Creek and Cowlitz River.

The state Department of Transportation has also closed the Green River Bridge between Enumclaw and Black Diamond after geotechnical experts detected small movements in the soil holding up the bridge. It will likely stay closed through Friday morning at the earliest.