SEATTLE — After freezing temperatures and snow impacted western Washington ahead of the Christmas weekend, it is heavy rains and winds that are creating issues for communities across Puget Sound.
A strong storm system brought heavy rains Tuesday. King tides severely impacted people who live near shorelines, especially in Skagit, Whatcom, Clallam, San Juan and Island counties.
Flooding
Several communities saw heavy rains create flood conditions.
Olympia
Olympia saw a record high tide Tuesday morning, measuring 18.4 feet, according to Olympia Water Resources Director Eric Christensen. The tide was predicted to be 16.6, but when barometric pressure bottomed out, that caused a surge.
Seattle
Seattle Public Utilities said flooding in the South Park neighborhood was from the Duwamish River overtopping its banks and said as sea levels continue to rise South Park will likely see flooding again.
The South Park industrial district saw 2 feet of flood waters by midday with submerged vehicles and flooded several businesses.
The Seattle Fire Department responded to a call of a father and son trapped in their car in floodwaters. When they got on scene, the water was halfway up the car. Crews opened the door, and the pair got out safely.
A welding business on Fourth Avenue also reported to Seattle Fire that their building, including the power source, was under 2 feet of water. When City Light and the hazardous materials team responded, the water had receded.
Workers in the area said they have seen this before with heavy rain and king tides but said sewer issues plaguing the neighborhood makes matters worse.
A few blocks away homes flooded as the Duwamish River was in their backyard and residents face a daunting clean-up job.
One man said two inches of water in their basement last year cost them $6,000 to clean up and fix. Now, with two feet of water in his basement from Tuesday's flooding, he’s wondering whether it’s ultimately worth it to pack up and move.
"We got a little pump down there that’s pumping water through this hose, out the front door and into the street. And we’re just gonna try to move all that water out," said Andy Cenarrusa.
His downstairs basement's living room, bedrooms and music room contain a pool of water, leaving his furniture halfway submerged. He said water was up to his knees.
"Alll of a sudden it just started coming in through the walls," said Cenarrusa. "It's gonna be a nightmare to clean up.”
Seattle Public Utilities said the department is working with those impacted by flooding including providing emergency housing as needed.
The department addressed the ongoing drainage issues and said it’s investing in the area, citing sewer protection equipment installed in homes that experienced sewer backups last year.
Plus, ongoing stormwater infrastructure projects include green stormwater infrastructure at South Cloverdale Street and Fifth Avenue South and the South Park Drainage and Roadway Partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation, which will be completed in 2023. That project is located between Second Avenue South and Eighth Avenue South and South Holden Street and South Monroe Street.
Snohomish County
North of Seattle, Mountlake Terrace closed 216th Street at 68th Avenue as water levels rise.
Officials with Washington State Patrol said there were 10 troopers and sergeants working in Snohomish County today responding to emergencies. Trooper Kelsey Harding said as of 2 p.m., the county had 29 calls for service for collisions, disabled and abandoned vehicles and water on the roadways.
Harding said a huge factor was drivers ignoring road closed signs, which should not be ignored.
“You might be a great driver, you might have four-wheel drive but sometimes it’s deep enough and actually has a little bit of a flow that will push your car and it doesn’t matter what you have, you can have a heavy pick up and the stream can actually have your vehicle exit the roadway,” Harding said.
Des Moines
Des Moines also had some cars engulfed by water early on Tuesday morning.
The King tide plus areas of low pressure caused the parking lot at Whalers Village Condominiums in Des Moines to flood. Residents of Whalers Village woke up to find cars nearly underwater and many filled with water inside.
“I got up and looked out and was like, ‘Whoa, the King tide they talked about came in,” said Jerry Pluger, who lives at the complex.
Pluger was using a solo cup to scoop water from his car that he was able to get out of the water.
“A lot of people didn't get their cars out,” said Pluger. “They're still in the middle of the water.
Residents say about once a year they get a high tide that reaches the parking lot, but that this was one of the worst flooding situations they have seen. A sign at the entrance of the parking lot warns residents of the flooding risk, if they choose to park there.
Pluger said many neighbors at Whalers Village came together to help each other get their cars out of the waist-high water. Jessica DeBoer and Amelia Jones were two of the residents who helped.
“There were a couple people trying to push a car, so I ran out here to help do that,” said DeBoer. “Then a couple of the vehicles over here, people were starting to try to move them and we were like ‘Don't turn them on, don't turn them on’ and said to put them in neutral, and just try to do what we can to help the situation.”
Neighbors said that water did not get into any of the actual condos but was isolated to the parking lot area.
University Place
Homes on Day Island in University Place flooded Tuesday morning due to king tides.
Crews were first called to the area at around 9 a.m. to help a resident in a wheelchair get to higher ground.
Dive teams with West Pierce Fire & Rescue and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department went door-to-door in knee-high water to check on residents, according to the sheriff’s department.
No one was injured, and there were no rescues. Floodwaters mostly receded by early afternoon, according to West Pierce Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief Scott Adams.
Adams said flooding on Day Island happens periodically during king tides, and since residents are used to it, they were prepared.
"Our big concern is making sure the power gets shut off," Adams said. "If there's any propane tanks that are not secured, pets, things like that, making sure people have a way of getting out safely."
The fire agency has partnered with the Red Cross to offer help to residents who want to assess flooding damage, Adams said.
Gig Harbor
Gig Harbor saw some higher tides Tuesday morning as well, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources shared some video.
Gig Harbor's police and fire departments also shared images of the high water levels.
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island also is seeing homes near the coasts impacted by rising tides.
Kitsap Peninsula
Some houses along State Route 106 in the Hood Canal area experienced some flooding as well.
Olalla Bay Market and Landing on the Kitsap Peninsula, which has been around since 1884, faced floodwaters Tuesday morning. However, the market was remodeled with flooding in mind, so not too much damage is expected.
The flooding comes after a fire interrupted those renovations and nearly destroyed the market back in August. In October, the market's owner said the store hoped to reopen at Christmastime.
Power outages
As of 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, there were over 35,000 customers without power across the state, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.us.
The majority of those affected were customers of Clark County PUD, with over 30,000 impacted. Seattle City Light also has over 1,500 customers without power, and Puget Sound Energy has nearly 3,000.