ISSAQUAH — Heavy rain sent a creek over a major roadway, under an apartment building east of Seattle and up to the foundations of homes on Thursday.
Amanda Amphett, a resident of the Park Shore Apartments in Issaquah, said Issaquah Creek reached their parking lot by late Wednesday night. Her neighbor knocked on her door at 5 a.m. Thursday and told her that the river was running under their building.
On Thursday afternoon, firefighters were evacuating residents, including a family with two young children, and moving them to shelters. No injuries had been reported, authorities said.
“It’s been an adventure,” Amphett said.
A flood watch was in effect through Friday afternoon across most of western Washington. Numerous roads were closed because of water over the roadway.
Officials also warned of landslide risks. Slides throughout the region were also closing roads. Crystal Mountain Resort closed Thursday because of high avalanche danger and mudslides on the road to the large ski and snowboarding area in the Cascades.
A failed culvert was also causing additional flooding on in and around Issaquah.
“Rock and soil spilling from hillside crammed the culvert full of debris,” King County officials said on Twitter. “The water has nowhere else to go. We built a berm to help direct water to creek so it wouldn’t damage the road or flood homes.”
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office warned on Twitter that the Nisqually River was flooding. County roads in the Nisqually Valley have been closed due to water on the road.
The Lacey Fire Department said on Twitter that Tacoma Power will increase the flow from LaGrande Dam by 1 p.m. Thursday. Residents living in the Nisqually Delta were urged to evacuate. The river was expected to peak by 4 p.m.
The city of Duvall asked residents to limit their water use, saying the water treatment plant had been maxed out by the rain.
Up to six inches of rain is expected in parts of Snohomish County, and King County activated its flood warning center, where officials are monitoring conditions of area rivers. King County issued flood warnings on seven rivers and Issaquah Creek after a major weather system brought heavy rains across most of Western Washington.
KOMO TV reports major flooding is expected or already occurring on four rivers: the Snoqualmie near Carnation, the Tolt above Carnation, the Carbon near Firfax and the Cowlitz at Randle.
Four other rivers are experiencing moderate flooding: the Cedar near Landsburg, the Snoqualmie near Snoqualmie Falls, the White at R Street Bridge, and the Snohomish at Snohomish and near Monroe.
Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation Wednesday for 19 Washington counties because of storms that are forecast to continue through this weekend.
Small landslides have also occurred near the Oregon coast, with at least one disrupting traffic Thursday near Newport, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
