State Of Emergency Declared As Rain, Flood Concerns Continue

SEATTLE, WA — Flood concerns continue Thursday in Puget Sound as heavy rain continues to pour throughout the region. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Issaquah Creek through Thursday night, and high waters had already caused problems on roads in King and Pierce counties by Wednesday.

Thursday morning, local news reporters posted photos and videos of cars underwater in the Issaquah area, and King County road crews built a bern to protect Issaquah-Hobart Road from damage after rocks and soil fell from a hillside. Another photojournalist posted video of high water flowing fast along the Cedar River. A Phase 4 flood warning was issued for Issaquah Creek, and city officials said the weather event was likely to match severe flooding seen in Jan. 2009.

Related Coverage:

Major Flooding, Road Closures In Issaquah, East King County

Several Rivers Flood As Heavy Rain Hammers Washington

In Snohomish County, several cities and low-lying rural areas dealt with flooded roads of their own, including in the cities of Everett and Marysville.

NWS Seattle said periods of heavy rain were expected to persist through early Friday, especially in rivers flowing off the central and southern Cascades. A flood watch is in effect for more than a dozen counties until Friday night.

Forecasters said a very brief break in the wet weather is possible Friday morning before another system arrives in the evening, but flooding impacts could continue into the weekend.

Lt. Gov Cyrus Habib signed a proclamation Wednesday declaring a state of emergency in Western Washington, and allocating state emergency management resources to help address any impacts from the weather. The declaration estimated damages above $3 million in the wake of storms beginning Jan. 20 and acknowledged continued rain in the forecast could lead to further issues.

"The Washington State Military Department is monitoring and coordinating supporting actions through the State Emergency Operations Center, implementing emergency response procedures, and is coordinating resources to support local officials in alleviating the immediate social and economic impacts to people, property and infrrastructure, and is continuing to assess to magnitude of the event," the proclamation reads.

The Washington State Department of Transportation continues to work along State Route 530, north of Darrington, after the road was damaged by high waters. Repairs were also required along Interstate 5 in Whatcom County. Another 2 to 3 inches of rain were forecast in the area between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning.

There is some good news on the horizon: early indications show we may be in for a much deserved dry spell next week.