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Roads reopen, cleanup continues, flood watch still on near Auburn
The Associated Press
Last updated: January 11th, 2009 12:29 AM (PST)
Flood-ravaged areas of Western Washington continued cleaning up and drying out Saturday. Roads were opened and damage assessments under way.
Two possibly flood-related deaths were reported Saturday, when the bodies of a man and a woman were found inside a car that ran off a road and flipped into a water-filled ditch in Lewis County west of Centralia. Washington State Patrol trooper Craig Sahlinger said he believed the Firebird, probably speeding, ran off the road late Friday night or early Saturday.
The road was slickened with mud from floodwaters that covered it earlier in the week, and the ditch was filled with water.
Otherwise, no deaths or serious injuries directly related to the flooding had been reported and the rivers were going down Saturday, said Linda Crerar, a spokeswoman for the state Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray. Rescue operations had reached all but the most remote areas.
“We had lots of opportunities with the flooding on the highways and the mudslides and the snowmelts … for things to happen and for people to get hurt,” Crerar said.
She credited the common sense of Washington residents, saying people were paying more attention when evacuation and other warnings are issued.
Here’s where other issues stood as of Saturday evening.
Roads reopen: Crews continued to open state highways and local roads. The state Department of Transportation reopened Highway 410 between Enumclaw and Greenwater and Highway 165 in Wilkeson. U.S. 12 from Packwood to Morton and Blewett Pass remained at least partially closed. Workers were cleaning up mudslide debris and planned to have one lane open during daylight hours, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Flood watch: A flood watch continues through today for the Green River, which could rise to 63.5 feet near Auburn by today, enough to cause minor flooding.
Damage assessed: Teams from Pierce County and the Washington National Guard visited the Orting Valley to check on residents and assess damages. Residents and businesses in Pierce County that suffered damage can call the Department of Emergency Management Damage at 1-866-798-6363 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Damage estimates: Gov. Chris Gregoire gave what she called a very preliminary estimate for damage to roads and state property of $125 million. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced $2 million in federal aid, with more to come after the damage assessment is completed.
Water supplies: The state Department of Health has issued a boil-water advisory for residents in parts of Pacific, Lewis, Clallam, Kittatas, Yakima and Whatcom counties. More than 8,000 people were affected by the advisories statewide, and nearly 900 have no water service.
Weather outlook: The National Weather Service predicted rain for the Tacoma area today, drying out by later in the week.
The News Tribune contributed to this report.
Originally published: January 11th, 2009 12:29 AM (PST)
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