Contact: Nola Leyde 206-764-6896 or Patricia Graesser 206-764-3760

SEATTLE - The Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has seven flood teams spread throughout western Washington monitoring levees and assisting local governments. Flood teams are out in the Chehalis, Puyallup, Nooksack, Olympic, Skagit, Cedar and Snohomish river basins.

A flood team is actively repairing a levee, which sustained damage in last year's flooding, along the Nooksack River in Whatcom County, and monitoring others on that river. The Corps has provided 12,000 sandbags in Snohomish County, including to the towns of Arlington, Snohomish and Bothell. A flood team was sent to Shoalwater Bay on Saturday, in response to a request for assistance from the Shoalwater Tribe, and provided 4,500 sandbags and is strengthening a damaged flood berm there.

The Corps plans to have teams out through the night, and a team expects to be out assisting the local government throughout the week in the Chehalis basin, where a flood of record has occurred.

The Corps took over the regulation of Wynoochee Dam on the Olympic Peninsula Sunday evening and Upper Baker and Ross dams on the Skagit Monday night. The Ross and Upper Baker outflows have been reduced to lower river levels downstream. The Wynoochee River Basin received 13.18 inches of rainfall in the past 48 hours, and the Corps currently passing inflows.

Public Law 84-99 enables the Corps to assist state and local authorities in flood fight activities and cost share in the repair of flood protection structures. The purpose is to prevent loss of life and minimize property damage associated with severe weather.

The Corps activated its Emergency Operations Center and the Reservoir Control Center (RCC) this weekend in advance of the storm and continues to operate 24 hours a day. The National Weather Service issues severe weather, flood watches and warnings and should be consulted for that information.