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King County
Executive Office
Ron Sims, King County Executive 701 Fifth Ave. Suite 3210 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-4040 Fax: 206-296-0194 TTY Relay: 711
Image: King County Exeutive Ron Sims, News Release

Nov. 7, 2006, 12:45 p.m.

King County Flood update: record flows recorded on Snoqualmie

Water danger moving downriver

Flows remain high in all King County rivers, including a Phase IV flood alert on the lower Snoqualmie River, Phase III flood alert levels in place for the Tolt, Cedar and Green rivers, and Phase II on Issaquah Creek. Both the Tolt River and Issaquah Creek have receded from Phase IV flood alert levels, according to the King County Flood Warning Center.

  • At 11 a.m., the Snoqualmie River was flowing at 34,200 cubic feet per second (cfs) at the stream gage that monitors the sum flow of the river’s three forks. At 10 a.m., the National Weather Service stream gage near Carnation recorded a flow of 69,900 cfs – a flood stage of 61.11 feet – the highest flows ever recorded at that site.
  • At 11 a.m., the Cedar River at Landsburg was flowing at 3,940 cfs, which is a Phase III flood alert level. At this flow, moderate lowland flooding is expected near the river, particularly in the Lower Dorre Don area. Increased flows are expected on the Cedar River later today, with more widespread flooding possible.
  • The Green River at Auburn was flowing at 10,010 cfs at 10:30 this morning, which is a Phase III flood alert level. Minor flooding in the Green River valley above Auburn is expected at this flow level, including the likelihood of some road closures.
  • The Green River is also expected to rise later today, along with the likelihood of additional flooding in the Green River Valley.

King County flood patrol crews have been monitoring conditions from the field since daybreak. Two crews are patrolling the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers, two more patrols are on the Cedar River, and one crew is patrolling the Green River.

Evacuation

The Snoqualmie shelter at the police station in that town is closing and moving its operations to Issaquah due to flood impacts which have cut power and forced the shelter managers to use a back up generator. The new location is in transition.

The shelter that was operating at the Kent Commons at 4th and James has closed and is moving to a new location.

The City of Duvall, assisted by King County Parks, is currently setting up a shelter at Cedarcrest High School at 29000 NE 150th in Duvall.

Transportation

Road access in the Snoqualmie Valley remains severely limited. Currently, the county's Road Services Division reports 34 road closures, the majority located in the Snoqualmie Valley. Only the Woodinville-Duvall Road and a portion of Preston-Fall City Road to the Fall City limits remain open at this hour. However, based on predicted Snoqualmie River flows, the county says it's likely

Woodinville-Duvall Road will flood and need to be closed early this afternoon. Residents should be aware that the status of road closures can abruptly change, and therefore, they should closely monitor road status reports and updates.

Motorists who spot problems on roads in unincorporated areas are encouraged to report them by calling 206 296-8100 or 1-800-KC-ROADS.
For more information about road conditions, visit http://www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/roads/roadalert/ on the internet.

Election

King County Elections’ officials report that flooding has forced the closure of the following polling places:

  • Closed - Mt Si Senior Center, North Bend. Voters can use the Sallal Grange at 12912- 432nd SE
  • Closed - Snoqualmie Elementary, Snoqualmie. Voters can use the Snoqualmie Fire Station, 37600 SE Snoqualmie Parkway.

Nearby, alternative voting locations include:

South:
Preston Community Club
8625 310th Ave SE
Preston, WA 98050

West:
Redmond Fire Station #14
5021 264th Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98053

Timberlake Christian Fellowship
4505 236th Ave NE
Sammamish, WA 98074

Beaver Lake Middle School
25025 SE 32nd St.
Issaquah, WA 98029

Challenger Elementary
25200 SE Klahanie Blvd.
Issaquah, WA 98029

While voters may not be able to vote at their assigned polling place, they can still cast a provisional ballot at any polling place between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters can also call the Voter Hotline at 206-296-VOTE (8683) until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters should download, print and bring the sample ballot to their polling place and write-in the races and candidate choices. To find out the issues you are eligible to vote in, visit https://www.metrokc.gov/elections/pollingplace/voterlookup.aspx

Voters planning on casting a ballot at the polls this evening on their way home for work should leave extra time for traffic and road closures associated with heavy rain and flooding.

Health Information

For residents who took the brunt of flooding yesterday, receding water levels may creating potential health risks as evacuated residents return home and others impacted by flood waters begin cleaning up.

Seattle-King County Public Health has information on cleaning a house after a flood: http://www.metrokc.gov/HEALTH/disaster/houseflood.htm

Knowing which food and medicines are safe after a flood: http://www.metrokc.gov/HEALTH/disaster/medicines.htm

And a wealth of Key topics, tips and fact sheets related to managing after a flood or disaster: http://www.metrokc.gov/HEALTH/disaster/index.htm

Joint Information Center PIOs can be reached at 206-205-1000.


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  Updated: Nov. 8, 2006