Issaquah-Hobart Road expected to reopen Sunday afternoon

ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Issaquah-Hobart Rd was expected to reopen Sunday afternoon after King County crews removed debris caused by recent flooding.

A spokesperson with King County said two culverts between SE 111th St and SE May Valley Rd were inundated with rushing water that brought piles of rock, soil and debris. That’s what clogged the culverts, diverting everything onto the road.

Road crews were hopeful to get this stretch of road back open by Sunday night. The road will then be assessed for potential damage and clean up before it opens back up.

That rushing water ran across the road and right into the driveway and home of Kristal Bowmer-Vath.

She said during the height of flooding, her basement had at least four inches of water and her crawl space had even more, measuring up to two feet of water.

On Saturday morning, she looked around her damp basement that was just recently renovated. Everything was brand new.

“The carpet has to go. All the mill work has to go. The walls are insulated, we have to take out all the drywall and insulation then start drying it out with the fans,” said Bowmer-Vath.

Bowmer-Vath estimates the flooding damage to be tens of thousands of dollars, and so far it looks like insurance won’t cover it.

“My husband’s company has offered a lot of support already,” she said. “They’re providing fans and we’re going to need dumpsters and tractors and all kinds of things.”

The pumps were still going when we were getting ready to leave the couple’s home. As a final note, Bowmer-Vath remained optimistic and said. “It is heartening to see how everyone comes together. Really the whole community, we’re just really grateful to be where we are surrounded by the kind of people we are.”

About 100 maintenance workers were spread out across King County to manage flooding, clear culverts and remove debris that washed up on the road.