Historic flooding forces evacuations across western Washington as Spokane rescue teams assist

SEATTLE — Historic flooding has forced entire towns to evacuate across western Washington, with emergency shelters housing displaced families.

The hardest hit areas are in Skagit and Snohomish counties. Governor Bob Ferguson says the Skagit and Snohomish rivers are at historic flood levels as the banks have overflowed and are flooding homes.

Despite all the damage, Ferguson announced that as of this afternoon, not a single person died as a result of the floods. Officials credit first responders, the National Guard, the Coast Guard and communities across the Pacific Northwest for working together to keep people safe.

Spokane firefighters are among those helping on the front lines. On Wednesday, Spokane’s swiftwater rescue team made its way to Washington’s west side. The group of 12 firefighters from Spokane Valley and the city of Spokane has made several rescues since then.

The team is working in the Skagit Valley area near Burlington, helping people trapped in their homes or cars. Many didn’t know conditions would get this bad.

“Our guys were able to take off from there in their kayaks and go paddle out to them and get them out of their car, get them returned safely to shore, and then just spent a bunch of time in a flooded out, kind of a rural farmland area, checking houses, checking in with homeowners,” said Captain Ben Riddle of Spokane Swiftwater Rescue.

The flooding varies dramatically by location. Riddle says depending on elevation, one neighborhood would be untouched by flooding but the next one over would have four or five feet of standing water in their backyards.

Residents scrambled to protect their belongings as waters rose.

“We started packing our car and moving as much as could upstairs as quick as we could,” said one evacuee.

The Spokane team is working closely with the National Guard and helping with helicopter rescues. Riddle says this weekend’s weather forecast will determine how long they’re deployed.