News - Local News

POSTED: Monday, Jan. 12, 2009

Roads still closed across Whatcom County; damage info sought

Flood waters continued to recede Monday, Jan. 12, but nearly 100 roads across Whatcom County remained closed in whole or part.

While most of the roads are in rural areas, some are heavily traveled, including Haxton Way, Noon Road, Marine Drive, Hovander Road in Ferndale and Iowa Street in Bellingham.

In many cases, public works officials were waiting for water to recede or debris to be cleared from roads. But some roads also have extensive damage from the flooding.

For a regularly updated list of road closures, go to www.co.whatcom.wa.us and click on "Road closures and restrictions" on the left-side menu.

HIGHWAY STATUS

The state Department of Transportation continues to work to clear mudslides and rock slides that have been blocking highways and Interstate 5.

? The northbound right lane of I-5 south of Bellingham was closed Monday evening for emergency cleanup or rocks, mud and debris.

? Highway 9 is open between Mount Baker Highway and Acme, but flaggers are alternating one-way traffic just south of Acme for the next week while crews make repairs from water damage.

? The Sumas border crossing was closed to long-haul commercial traffic because of flooding. Local commercial traffic was still being allowed through.

? Mount Baker Highway just east of Deming was closed Monday night, Jan. 12, so crews could install a new culvert in a section damaged by a Jan. 8 mudslide near Marshall Hill Road. The slide also knocked out power poles and power lines and undermined a 300-foot section of road. Once the culvert is in, crews expect to have one lane of the road open by 7 a.m. Tuesday. Their goal is to open the entire road by Friday.

For updates, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov and click on the "closures by county" link under High Impact Alerts.

REPORT FLOOD DAMAGE

Homeowners and business owners are being urged to report how much damage was done.

The information that residents and business owners provide will be used to determine eligibility for federal disaster funds.

To report damage, visit Whatcom County's Web site www.whatcomcounty.us and click the "Report Your Damage" link to fill out the online form.

For those who don't have access to the online survey, call the Flood Recovery Call Center starting noon Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 778-8500.

You will need the following information:

- Your insurance policy

- Fair market value of your property. For assistance on that, call the Whatcom County Assessor's Office, 676-6790.

- Estimated cost of repairs

- Estimated loss of personal property.