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Lummi Nation declares emergency as flooding cuts off access and threatens levee stability
Drone footage shows severe flooding along the Nooksack River, leaving Lummi Nation with only one access point and prompting tribal leaders to declare a state of emergency.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - As parts of Washington continue to deal with the devastation from all the flooding, Lummi Nation declared its own state of emergency on Thursday night.
Drone video from the Nooksack River at Slater Road shows a field of water. The flooding heavily impacts Lummi Nation, as there is now only one access point onto the land.
What they're saying:
"Having our primary safety access point being shutdown really causes a concern for emergency response," Tony Hillaire, Lummi Nation Chairman said on Friday. "It doubles and sometimes triples the time in case there is any serious injury or serious emergency to be able to get them help."
He told FOX 13, about 6,000 people live on the reservation, both tribal and non-tribal. The 20,000-acre reservation comprises a five-mile peninsula that sits at the mouth of the Nooksack River.
Lummi flooding (Source: Lummi Nation Geographic Information Systems)
"If anything happens there, we'll be a complete island," Hillaire said. On social media Saturday, he revealed the levy at South Slater Road prevented a full breach, but the dikes were damaged. He added, once the water levels go down, they will safely assess the extent of that damage, but they’re keeping close watch because that damage now holds the potential for a breach.
"The current priority, I think, is monitoring the levee that is holding up the river near Slater Road and making sure that it doesn't get any worse, because if it does, our conditions and our ability to take care will get worse," Hillaire said.
As the flooding surrounds homes and traps cars, emergency management teams, natural resources and first responders work around the clock to monitor the conditions and protect the critical infrastructure.
On Saturday, Lummi leadership and natural resources met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the levee and said they found no damage to it at this time, according to a Lummi Communications Facebook post.
In 2021 though, the levee there broke after severe flooding in the area. The community became an island and had to boat in groceries and doctors to take care of their people. The chairman told FOX 13, they advocated for funding to raise Slater Road, and the levy was repaired, but they will be making a bigger push for it to be done after what they’re experiencing this time around.
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