A Silver Lining From My Little Brother On The Skagit Flats

From my little brother, this morning, his current view from his location on the Skagit Flats. With the accompanying text saying, "Behind every storm is a silver lining."

The Skagit flooding turned out not to be the horrific disaster predicted.

When I asked my brother if he was back in his Skagit Flats house he replied that "I never left."

I thought an evacuation order had been given to those living on the Skagit Flats.

And yesterday morning, upon waking my computer I was shocked to see a screaming headline saying the entire town of Burlington had been ordered to evacuate due to a flash flooding Gages Slough. And that the National Guard was facilitating the evacuation.

Well.

Turns out my old hometown of Burlington did not evacuate. Gages Slough only flooded part of Rio Vista Avenue. And did not flood nearby Lucille Umbarger Elementary, where I did my grade schooling. 

When I first read the Gages Slough flash flood news it made no sense to me that this could cause the entire town to need to be evacuated.

Most of the town is at a higher elevation than Gages Slough. No way, I thought, water from that Slough could manage to reach the house I grew up in, a couple blocks north of the Slough.

Another Atmospheric River is predicted to soon hit Washington, well before the current flood waters have receded. And the mountains are currently getting record breaking snow. Sometimes Western Washington floods are caused by a rapid rise in temperature causing a rapid melting of snow.

I fear we may be just in Part 1 of Washington's weather disaster...

Marked Safe From The Washington Floods

Well, this morning, on Facebook, I saw something I've never seen before. A Crisis Response Facebook posting where Facebook Friends in the area affected by the record-breaking Washington floods can mark themselves as safe, or not in the affected area. 

The Skagit River crested in Mount Vernon, sometime after midnight. I have not yet been able to learn if the flood crested over the floodwall, flooding downtown Mount Vernon.

The majority of my life was lived in Western Washington. During that time I experienced many floods. But, nothing like this one. Schools closed, stores closed, massive evacuations.

I talked to Linda Lou, yesterday. I asked what the rain was like, which is being called an Atmospheric River, that produced this massive flooding.

Linda Lou told me the rain was heavier than any she has ever experienced. That she drove from Mount Vernon to Burlington, in the downpour, with traffic moving about 5 miles per hour.

In a couple hours I will try to reach my little brother, hoping to find out that the flooding of the Skagit Flats did not reach his abode, or nephew Joey's, next door to brother Jake.

Flooding State of Emergency in Washington

I knew that on Wednesday the Western Washington zone was getting hit by a big tropical storm which was bringing warm temperatures and a lot of wet stuff. These type storms melt the snowpack in the Cascades, causing flooding in the lowlands. Particulary when the lowlands are already saturated and are being hit with several inches of rain, while the mountains get about a foot of the wet stuff, which adds more water to the melting snow.

What is happening up there right now is record breaking, a flood of historic proportions, forcing the biggest evacuation in Washington history.

Tacoma has declared a state of emergency. The Puyallup River has gone over its banks. The Puyallup empties into Tacoma's Commencement Bay. Over 40,000 people have been asked to evacuate. That is the Puyallup River in the picture. Workers are trying to clear a log jam. A log jam and a flood can bring down a bridge.

Everyone living in the Orting Valley of the Puyallup was told to leave as the river continues to rise.

The flooding is going into populous areas and industrial zones where flooding has not occurred before. Tacoma's central wastewater treatment plant is in jeopardy.

Transportation is at a standstill in Western Washington. Interstate 5 is covered with water by Fife. Fife is a town just east of Tacoma. South of Olympia I-5 is also under water. All the mountain passes are closed, due to avalanches and mudslides.

Up in my old hometown zone, that being Mount Vernon and the Skagit Valley, mudslides have hit homes, dozens of roads are blocked by water or mudslides. From what I just read in the Skagit Valley Herald, it would appear I've got one friend trapped by water and slides. Are you homebound again, Nancy? Is it being as bad up there as it seems to be from what I'm reading?

Downtown Mount Vernon has narrowly escaped being buried in water, several times. I've been part of sandbagging brigades building a wall on the dike that protects downtown Mount Vernon. Last year a new flood wall system was installed to protect downtown. I don't believe it has been put to use, yet.

They are having the worst winter in memory up in my old home zone. While down here in Texas it will be another blue sky day, hitting a high of 72. 75 tomorrow.