‘Go now’ evacuation order in place due to flooding in Orting
Some Orting residents need to evacuate their homes immediately because of Puyallup River flooding that poses “significant threat to life or property,” the city said Wednesday morning.
Central Pierce Fire and Rescue made a Facebook post just before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, saying there are Level 3 “Go Now” orders in place for some parts of Orting and Level 2 “Be Set” orders for other areas of the town.
“Go now” orders are in place for those in the areas of:
- Williams Boulevard Northwest
- Mellinger Avenue Northwest
- Stone Street Northwest.
“Level 3 ‘Go Now’ order is in place for Phase 1 of Village Green (west of Headly Ave NW),” the City of Orting wrote in a Facebook post at 9:07 a.m.
“Messaging will be sent to those homes as well as teams going door-to-door to ensure communication,” the City of Orting said in its Facebook post. “An evacuation center is opening up at the Multi-Purpose Center (Library) in downtown Orting, if you need a place to stay warm, dry, and fed. “
CPFR says Level 2 Be Set orders are in place for those near:
- The High Cedars Golf Course community
- South of the Puyallup River near 150th Avenue East
- 188th Street East
- 184th Street East
- 176th Street East
- 168th Street East
- Off of Pioneer Way East
- 177th Street East
- Patterson Road East
Mayor Josh Penner told The News Tribune that about 30 or 40 homes in Orting are under an evacuation order, and the rest of the city is under an evacuation watch.
“Have a good plan [on how to evacuate], assume that your preferred plan is not going to work, have a backup plan, avoid standing water and don’t drive through it,” Penner said.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Swift Water Rescue Team is involved in three active rescues of three adults at Dan and Bill’s RV Park in Puyallup, the sheriff’s office announced at 12:24 p.m. Wednesday.
CPFR said river levels in Orting are “extremely high.”
“City of Orting levee improvements are working as designed. Our concern is the levees upstream on the Puyallup River in the south end of town. We are actively monitoring river levels in that area,” CPFR wrote in its Facebook post. “BE PREPARED to evacuate if advised by local authorities. DO NOT WALK OR DRIVE through moving water or on flooded roadways. IF DRIVING, do not drive around a barricade or on closed roads.”
The Orting School District posted at 10 a.m. on Wednesday that all after-school activities and afternoon preschool have been cancelled because of the flooding.
“No Skills Center and activity bus transportation,” OSD wrote in a Facebook post. “The Ptarmigan Ridge assembly has been canceled as well. We are closely monitoring the situation and will keep our families updated with any further developments. “
The White River School District posted at 11:58 a.m. on Wednesday that students will be released from school one hour early. All after-school and evening activities are cancelled. Buses will pick up students from schools at the following times:
- High School - 1:05 p.m.
- Glacier Middle School - 1:30 p.m.
- Elementary Schools - 2:25 p.m.
- Early Learning Center - 2:25 p.m.
- Kids Club closes at - 5:15 p.m.
“Please contact your child’s school if you need to modify their transportation plan or if there are any changes to your student’s usual after-school routine,” the WRSD post read. “Our transportation team will be in communication with families affected by any route modifications.”
Penner said the city is working with CPFR, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and the school district, and residents can stay in the loop by going to the city’s website at cityoforting.org or monitoring the social media pages of those agencies.
Residents can also track evacuation orders by visiting protect.genasys.com and entering in their address.
If you live in Orting, you can call the Orting hotline at 360-229-7342. If you live in unincorporated Pierce County, you can call another hotline at 253-798-6595.
“A livestock shelter has been set up for Unincorporated Pierce County at Frontier Park (21718 Meridian E, Graham),” CPFR wrote in a 3:20 p.m. Facebook post. “Owners are responsible for livestock care and feed.”
The News Tribune will update this article with more updates about flooding in Orting as more information is available.
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM.
