King County leaders credit land-use policies for limiting weather-related damage
December 27, 2010
The Snoqualmie River sloshed into neighborhoods and onto streets in early December, but county leaders credit land-use policies for helping to limit damage from flooding and landslides.
Many areas across the county experienced landslides or flooding Dec. 11-12, but damage to life and property remained at a minimum.
“The damaged homes in King County that were seen in the news were not among those that have been permitted or built in the last 10 years,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement. “Policies to limit construction on steep slopes and protections for flood hazard areas are doing a better job of making our homes and neighborhoods safer and more resistant to damage from severe weather.”
Controversial flood project helps keep Snoqualmie drier
December 27, 2010
New flood-related projects undertaken in recent years are helping keep residents in the upper Snoqualmie Valley high and dry, but residents in the lower Valley say work on Snoqualmie Falls is making flooding worse for them.
The Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Puget Sound Energy for work on the Snoqualmie River at the falls, where PSE maintains a hydroelectric plant. The association said that inaccurate models were used to determine the impact two projects at the falls would have on downstream flooding.
The corps ignored a directive from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to analyze the downstream effect of a river-widening project, according to court documents filed as part of the alliance’s lawsuit.
“Our ultimate goal is a plan that wouldn’t help one area with flooding just to push it downstream,” alliance President Geary Eppley said.
EFR firefighters pull father and daughter off SUV stranded in floodwater
December 22, 2010
Eastside Fire & Rescue firefighters from Station 87 in North Bend rescued a father and his daughter from their car after it became stranded in floodwaters on Southeast Reinig Road near 396th Drive Southeast during the Dec. 12 flood.
Their car, a Nissan Pathfinder, had stalled in three to four feet of water from the swollen Snoqualmie River, which runs alongside Reinig Road.
Firefighters arrived after receiving a 911 call at 3:32 p.m.
Record rainfall leads to flooding but little damage in Snoqualmie Valley
December 13, 2010
NEW — 4:15 p.m. Dec. 13, 2010
A record amount of rain fell in the Puget Sound area Dec. 12, swelling the Snoqualmie River to flood stage. But while the river ran high, little damage has been reported, according to city and county officials.
The rain came in on the “Pineapple Express,” a weather phenomenon that brings precipitation and warmer temperatures from the Pacific to the Northwest.
King County issued a flood stage 3 alert for Snoqualmie River on Dec. 12. The highest alert level is 4.
Eastside Fire & Rescue pulled to safety one person who had become trapped on Reinig Road, where the river flooded the roadway. Snoqualmie Fire Department assisted in the rescue.
Snoqualmie River expected to flood this weekend
December 9, 2010
NEW — 1:45 p.m. Dec. 9, 2010
The Snoqualmie River is forecasted to reach flood levels on Sunday, Dec. 12, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
However, the forecasts are subject to change — meaning more or less rain could fall earlier or later.
“We may have moderate flooding on the Snoqualmie, but there is quite a bit of uncertainty about how much rain will fall, so it could change,” said Ken Zweig, of King County’s River and Floodplain Management Section. “It looks like most of the rain will be coming in Saturday to Monday.”
Snoqualmie River’s first flood warning of season triggered
November 3, 2010
NEW — 10:55 a.m. Nov. 3, 2010
Less than one day into flood season, a swollen Snoqualmie River triggered a Phase II flood alert from the King County Flood Warning Center.
This winter is expected to be a La Niña one. That means it will be wetter and colder than most winters with an increased chance of flooding along the Snoqualmie, according to forecasts by the National Weather Service.
La Niña conditions occur when ocean temperatures around the equator in the Pacific are colder than usual.
Snoqualmie Valley expected to dodge major storm
October 29, 2010
NEW — 10:25 a.m. Oct. 29, 2010
A major storm could hit the Puget Sound region next week, dumping heavy rain on the area. The Snoqualmie River Basin is expected to miss the worst of it, according to forecasts by the National Weather Service.
The heaviest rain is expected to hit the Olympic and North Cascade mountains, said Dennis D’Amico, a Seattle-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
A massive, moist low-pressure front is headed for the area from Asia following the traditional Pineapple Express path.
The source is a typhoon in Asia, according to Cliff Mass, a University of Washington meteorologist.
This winter brings big chance of flooding
October 13, 2010
When Stephanie Huber heard that meteorologists are predicting La Niña conditions this winter, her heart sank a little.
La Niña typically means a cold, wet and snowy winter for the Puget Sound area. For residents, like Huber, living along the Snoqualmie River, it means a greater likelihood of flooding.
Huber lives in the Shamrock Park neighborhood outside North Bend. The South Fork of the Snoqualmie River wraps around the little cluster of houses. It is one of the few areas on the river that still has a levee, which runs through Huber’s backyard.
The earthen levee hasn’t stopped Shamrock Park from flooding regularly during the past 20 years.
Economy leads top Valley stories of 2009
January 6, 2010
NEW — 11:28 a.m. Jan. 6, 2010
Bailey Polson stuffs his face with cherry pie during the pie eating contest at the Festival at Mount Si. (File photo)
The past year saw many changes for Snoqualmie Valley. The economic recession permeated everything and was a constant running theme in news coverage. It put a damper on North Bend’s centennial year, which was supposed to see the city finally get some of the development money that had gone to Snoqualmie during the previous decade. Read more
Living with flooding, pt. 3: Learning to coexist alongside the river
December 30, 2009
NEW — 11:35 a.m. Dec. 30, 2009
Part 3 of 3
Sara Posey (left) and Matt Hedger, with Snoqualmie City Parks, unclog a storm drain Nov. 13, 2008, as post-flood clean-up starts. Behind them, Snoqualmie Elementary School is still closed. (Photo by Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times)
The communities of Snoqualmie Valley have persevered despite heavy floods. The inhabitants are invested in their neighborhoods and don’t want to leave the area’s beautiful setting. Now, the residents and local municipalities with King County’s help are learning how to live beside wild rivers prone to seasonal flooding.
Together, they are finding a way to coexist with the river.
