Gov. Inslee promises help for Whatcom flood recovery and fight against climate change
Gov. Jay Inslee promised to “aggressively” seek federal aid for Whatcom County and other areas devastated by flooding from a Pineapple Express storm that inundated communities across Western Washington.
Speaking at a flooded Whatcom Transportation Authority commuter parking lot in Ferndale on Wednesday evening, Nov. 17 — with a half-dozen cars in water to their rocker panels behind him — Inslee said he spoke with the mayors of Everson and Sumas and was astonished at the devastation he saw.
He said he was surprised that there was only one fatality and that the losses from flooding weren’t worse.
“These communities are extremely lucky. I’m told they did top all-time flood levels in some places,” he told reporters.
Now that the floodwaters have begun to recede, damage assessments are starting, Inslee said.
After that, damage and loss figures will be compiled in a bid for federal assistance, which must meet certain financial criteria.
“They have some of our teachers and educators out going door to door to seek damage assessments. We won’t have an answer for that for some period of time,” he said.
Whatcom County officials said Tuesday that they expect damage in the range of $7 million to $10 million.
Inslee said he spoke with a homeowner who had just finished repairing his house from the 2020 flooding that hit the same three northern Whatcom County communities — Everson, Nooksack and Sumas.
“They just finished that, and now they recognize they’re probably not going to be able to keep their home, given the recurrent floods that they’re experiencing,” Inslee said.
He said meteorologists and emergency managers were surprised by the flood’s speed and severity.
“It came on very fast. We’re going to go back to our models to see if there’s anything we can learn from this experience,” he said.
Drenching rains of an atmospheric river that lasted from Saturday, Nov. 13, to Monday, Nov. 15, quickly melted 4 feet of snow that fell last week in the Mount Baker wilderness, engorging all three forks of the Nooksack River and adding to record rainfall in the Whatcom County lowlands.
Some 15 inches of rain fell from Sunday to Monday at the Mt. Baker Ski Area, and 5.56 inches fell from Saturday to Monday at Bellingham International Airport, breaking rainfall records.
That three-day deluge, which dropped a month’s worth of rain on Bellingham, followed a less-severe atmospheric river from Nov. 11-12 that left the ground saturated and rivers running high and primed for flooding.
Floodwaters spilled into Whatcom County communities from Acme in the South Fork Valley to the Nooksack River delta at Lummi Nation on Bellingham Bay.
Inslee said Whatcom County should prepare for repeated floods and address the causes of climate change.
“We have to realize that we’re going to face decades of increased floods in our state of Washington,” he said. “All of us are going to have to be resilient facing the increased threat.”
He promised to use state and federal funds — including funds from President Biden’s recent infrastructure bill — to ease the effects of climate change.
Also Wednesday, the Whatcom County Council held a special meeting to consider an immediate cash infusion of $250,000 to the emergency management fund to cover initial flood response.
That measure was approved unanimously in an online meeting.
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu has issued a disaster declaration, which authorizes overtime for workers and bypasses other administrative rules to obtain and distribute emergency supplies quickly.
Flooding, cleanup update
Water levels continued to recede throughout Whatcom County, and the Nooksack River was well below flood stage at all Northwest River Forecast Center measuring stations.
Rescue efforts were shifting to recovery and cleanup, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Sumas Mayor Kyle Christen said four dumpsters were available for Sumas residents: at City Hall, the fire station, Edaleen Dairy and the Sumas Advent Church at Front and Cherry streets.
Residents were urged to save receipts for flood-related expenses, document damages with photographs and report their losses to Whatcom County at 360-788-5311.
Those expenses would be added to government agencies’ records and other data to include with the application for state and federal relief.
In Ferndale, city officials were asking residents to share their photos of flood damage.
“If you have photos or video of the flooding in Ferndale, please email them to public-works@cityofferndale.org or drop them in the comments below with a date, time and location,” the city said on its Facebook page.
“Photos and video are invaluable to us for documentation purposes, including relief funding applications and future flood response actions,” the city said.
Everson Mayor John Perry said cleanup efforts were continuing for the next several days.
“Cleanup has started in Everson and Nooksack. Drop boxes were placed in both cities and volunteers have brought in equipment and are loading trucks and dumpsters and hauling them to the dump,” Perry said at the Everson Police page on Facebook.
“On Saturday (Nov. 20) we are organizing a community cleanup day. We are looking for volunteers and possibly equipment. Manpower is our biggest need, as a lot of the clean-up involves hands, not front-end loaders. I’ll post a specific request for equipment if needed. Nooksack Valley Disposal is sending out garbage trucks that will be going house to house and loading the smaller stuff in. Please show up at 8 am at the Everson Shopping Center,” he said.
In Bellingham on Thursday, crews were removing massive logs from behind the floodgates on Whatcom Creek that control the flow of water from Lake Whatcom.
Food and shelter
About 100 people were staying at shelters at North County Christ the King and Sonlight Community Church in Lynden.
A Red Cross emergency shelter was at the Northwest Washington Fair and Event Center, 1775 Front St. in Lynden. Face masks are currently required in all Red Cross shelters, regardless of vaccination status.
Assistance available at the shelter will include food, cots and other urgent needs, the Red Cross said in a statement.
Displaced residents were urged to bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, important documents and other comfort items. Families should bring special items for children and infants, such as diapers, formulas and toys.
A Salvation Army canteen opened in Sumas to offer food, hygiene items and cleaning supplies, the agency said in an email to reporters.
“The Salvation Army will remain in these communities to help rebuild what was lost,” said Major Jonathan Harvey with Salvation Army Northwest.
On the city’s Facebook page, Christensen said to call Chad Hammond at 503-933-9270 for information about food and meal donations as well as financial contributions and volunteer coordination.
“We have meals available right now to everyone who has been affected by the flooding and all our volunteers and emergency personnel at the Sumas Advent Christian Church and across the street at the Salvation Army food truck. Come and eat! They will be providing three meals a day until further notice. The church also will be used for a warming place and for restrooms. They will also be handing out dry goods foods to those who need it,” Christensen said.
Whatcom County officials also promised outreach to farmworkers and the nonprofit Community to Community Development asked for help in an email.
“Climate change disproportionately impacts agricultural workers in Whatcom County. The weather events earlier this week led to many families evacuating their homes, losing pets, irreplaceable belongings, and vehicles. C2C Promotoras are working directly with families in Whatcom County to assess needs for support. In the coming days and weeks, many families will be faced with difficult decisions, costly repairs, or needing to find new homes. We have set up a Solidarity Relief Fund which will go directly to farmworker families impacted by this catastrophic event. You can mail a check or visa gift card donation to: Community to Community Development, 203 W. Holly St. No. 311, Bellingham, WA 98225.
Lummi Nation
Lummi Nation remained isolated from the rest of Whatcom County by flooded roads in the Nooksack River delta, and the Wexliem community building was offered as shelter for displaced residents.
Just after noon Thursday, Whatcom County reported it had conditionally opened Haxton Way and Lummi Nation was operating a pilot car and flagging operation for one lane of traffic.
But Haxton Way will close overnight Thursday, the county said at its website.
“We appreciate the Lummi Nation’s initiative to open Haxton Way with their forces; however, without their pilot car and flagger support, we will have to close the roadway at 9 p.m. for the safety of the motoring public. We will re-assess the situation on Friday morning, Nov. 19, by 9 a.m.,” the county said.
Whatcom Medic One and fire departments on Lummi Island and Ferndale staffed a fire station at Gooseberry Point.
In speaking with reporters Wednesday, Inslee promised to help affected Washington state tribes with immediate aid.
A low tide late Wednesday was expected to help drain the remaining floodwaters, said Jon Hutchings, director of the Whatcom County Public Works Department.
Roads still affected
Dozens of roads remain closed for standing water, debris and damaged pavement, according to the Whatcom County Public Works Department.
“Closed roads that appear to be driveable may have been compromised; there may be damage under the pavement, or other things not visible or obvious,” the sheriff’s office said.
Public Works was assessing roads and bridges as waters recede and warned that some damaged areas could remain closed for an extended period.
The Washington State Department of Transportation reported in a tweet that it plans rolling slowdowns on northbound and southbound Interstate 5 between the Alger exit (milepost 240) and Old Fairhaven Parkway (milepost 250) between 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, and 6 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19, to make emergency repairs for damage caused by the storm.
Puget Sound Energy will close North Lake Samish Drive from Prescott Lane to the Interstate 5 Southbound on-ramp overnight, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Thursday-Friday, Nov. 18-19, for repairs in the recent landslide area.
Lake Whatcom Boulevard was closed from Lake Louise Road to Cain Lake Road for emergency culvert repairs starting 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
Chuckanut Drive, whichh
Drivers were repeatedly warned not to go past road closure signs.
Weather conditions
Rain was expected Thursday for Whatcom County and other parts of Western Washington, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“The rain will cause the area rivers to respond slightly but is not expected to cause any area rivers to go above flood stage again,” meteorologist Mary Butwin said in the online forecast discussion.
Sunny skies were expected Friday, Nov. 19.
Threat of landslides eased Thursday as saturated ground absorbed water.
Parks and trails
Several parks and trails were closed by high water and storm damage, including Hovander Homestead and Tennant Lake in Ferndale.
Outside Bellingham, the Hertz Trail was closed and the LM 2000 road in Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve near Sudden Valley was closed.
Both Riverside Park and Ramstead Park were closed in Everson, the city said at its website.
Many roads and trails in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest are either impassable or inaccessible, the U.S. Forest Service in a news release Thursday.
Roads and trails within the forest suffered various degrees of damage during recent storms, and the forest service urged visitors to check road conditions at usfs.maps.arcgis.com before heading out, the Forest Service said.
Mount Baker wilderness
Some snow fell Tuesday in the North Cascades as temperatures dropped, the Mt. Baker Ski Area said at its website.
“We’ve picked up some new snow as temps quickly cooled as the front passed through and we are hopeful that, given the forecast, we will continue to see some additional snowfall over the next few days,” the ski area said. “What we are saying is, while our opening day chances for this week are low, there is still a chance we could be open for Thanksgiving.”
More snow was possible at elevations above 3,000 feet over the next few days as smaller storms breeze through Washington, according to forecasts.
Some schools still closed
Classes were canceled for Thursday, Nov. 18, in the Mount Baker School District and at Lummi Nation schools.
Nooksack Valley said Wednesday that its schools will be closed through Friday, Nov. 19.
How to help
Donations to help those affected by flooding are being accepted through Whatcom Community Foundation’s Resilience Fund. A local donor and Puget Sound Energy have made matching funds available so donations this week are matched dollar for dollar, up to a combined total of $115,000. To contribute to the Resilience Fund, go online to https://bit.ly/3Ck86JW.
Flooding in Canada
Just across the border in British Columbia, fears eased Thursday that a pump station could be overwhelmed at Barrowtown near the ranching enclave of Sumas Prairie.
“The water in the Nooksack River is dropping considerably, which will diminish flow into Abbotsford,” the city of Chilliwack said Wednesday at its website. “The Fraser River continues to drop and officials estimate that by tomorrow they should be able to open the flood gates, which will reduce water levels. The pumps are also working at Abbotsford’s Barrowtown pump station. Should the worst-case situation occur and the pumps stop working, the water will rise very slowly, first in Abbotsford, giving Yarrow residents an opportunity to leave the area safely.”
John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management that misinformation about the situation in Canada on Tuesday, Nov. 16, caused some residents of Sumas to panic and flee unnecessarily.
“People jumped to a conclusion and caused a lot of concern,” Gargett told the Whatcom County Council at a special meeting Wednesday, Nov. 17.
Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun reported Thursday morning that floodwaters from the Nooksack River have continued to flow northeast in the Sumas Prairie and that water levels continue to rise to the east end of the prairie.
“This is a situation we are very closely monitoring,” Braun said during a media briefing.
— David Rasbach (drasbach@bhamherald.com) contributed to this story.
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 7:29 PM.
CORRECTION: The telephone number to call to report losses to Whatcom County was corrected Nov. 18, 2021.
