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Western Washington braces for flooding, strong winds as atmospheric river moves in
Heavy rain, damaging winds and widespread flooding are expected across Western Washington. Residents in flood-prone areas like Carnation are preparing sandbags and alternate travel plans, while county officials urge the public to monitor local alerts and road conditions.
CARNATION, Wash. - There is a potential for heavy rain, dangerous winds and widespread flooding over the next several days.
Neighbors in flood-prone areas were preparing Sunday.
What they're saying:
Residents in Carnation said water on the roads there often makes it hard to get around during what they call "flooding season."
The Snoqualmie River, near Carnation, is pictured below Sunday.
"We go out all the time, he goes rain or shine," said Analeise Dowd, a Carnation resident.
Dowd says for her dog Mikko, heavy rains in the forecast this week are like water off a dog's back.
"He is a little outdoor-loving dog, and he will go wherever at this point," said Dowd.
The Golden Doodle won't let the threat of an atmospheric river stop him.
However, she and other residents say it may stop human commuters from getting to work if local roads get cut off by flooding.
"Mostly it’s just the 203 where the flooding happens in the area," said Dowd.
Carnation sits near the intersection of both the Tolt and the Snoqualmie Rivers.
Based on experience, residents call this time of year "flooding season" and say some neighborhoods can become islands.
The Tolt River is pictured below.
"My mom and my sister and cousin. They all live in Stillwater. Down in that area of 203, it can often flood in that space. They’ve been trapped on the hill before," said Dowd.
"Typically, Tolt Hill will flood first and Carnation Farms," said Avery Heuberger, a worker at Blake’s Pizza.
Hueberger is a life-long Carnation resident and says even if flooding takes a slice out of the roads, Blake's will likely stay open.
"It’s typically getting around, like getting out and getting out into Duvall and to the valley is a lot harder," said Hueberger.
"For people who just moved in or who don’t live around here, they don’t understand how intense it can be sometimes, but we get around it."
What's next:
Ahead of this week's wet week, King County and the city of Carnation are offering free sand for sandbags.
"This community does a really good job as far as making sure everybody is aware," said Dowd.
While people may try to avoid the water, Dowd says Mikko will likely try to dive right in.
"He does not care, he loves the water," said Dowd.
The self-fill sandbag station will be open on Monday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's located at the city of Carnation Public Works yard. It's being offered through a partnership with the city and King County.
Links to other county sandbag stations can be found here.
King County says the best way to stay on top of flood conditions is through the county app. Snohomish County is directing people to its hazard viewer.
PSE, which services the area, issued the following statement Friday.
"We’re preparing for a series of weather systems through the middle of next week. While we expect to see active weather through the weekend that is likely to cause outages, most concerning is a strong weather system early next week. The combination of heavy rains weighing down vegetation along with saturated soils and breezy winds could lead to outages across much of our service area.
We understand how difficult it is to be without power. Our teams are preparing to respond, and crews will remain in the field to assess damage and restore power as long as it is safe. If your power goes out, we’ll work around the clock to restore it as quickly and safely as possible.
Visit PSE’s Alerts and Advisories page for information on our response efforts: pse.com/alerts."
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The Source: Information in this story came from Puget Sound Energy and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.