SEDRO-WOOLLEY — The Hamilton First Baptist Church, serving as a Red Cross shelter for expected flood victims, had its first four occupants as of 3:45 p.m. Tuesday as emergency officials warned of additional likely flooding in Whatcom and Skagit counties into Wednesday.
Sixteen RVs also were parked at the shelter as of Tuesday afternoon.
Most are from Hamilton, a town of fewer than 300 on the Skagit River that is very prone to flooding. Around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, an evacuation siren was heard in Hamilton to warn residents of potential flooding, but evacuation was not mandatory, according to Jenn Rogers, Skagit County communications manager.
Sunshine Manderle and Alisha Stevens, both Hamilton residents, came to the Red Cross shelter Monday night.
Manderle lives in a house in Hamilton, and said she’s hoping her house doesn’t flood tonight. Stevens, who lives in an RV, was able to move her RV up to the church for the night.
Manderle said in the 2021 flood, some people lost their vehicles in the RV park because they didn’t evacuate quickly enough.
“I think the difference between the [one] two years ago flood and this time is that people actually realized that it was no joke,” Manderle said. “This time, because it flooded really bad two years ago, people are like, ‘Nope, we’re not waiting around to find out.’ “
Being in such a small, flood-prone town, Manderle said people help each other out when it floods.
The Skagit River is now expected to crest at 10 p.m. at Concrete, Skagit officials said late Tuesday afternoon.
“Rescues at night can be unreliable and unsafe for both law enforcement and the public. Please ensure all your devices are charged if you need to reach out for emergency services,” the county said.
Several Washington counties, including Whatcom and Skagit, have been under flood watches or warnings since early Monday, as parts of the state have received record amounts of rain. It’s part of a system keeping “atmospheric river” moisture streaming over Western Washington and the Olympic Peninsula.
More rain is forecast to fall overnight but the heaviest amounts from the current storm system have passed in most areas, the National Weather System announced. Impacts from the rain, including flooding, are likely to continue into Thursday as slower-responding rivers crest, the NWS said. Snow levels are expected to lower, bringing moderate snow back to mountain passes by later this week.
Ryan McCalister, Red Cross disaster program manager, said it’s unlikely they’ll have a lot of people sleeping inside the Skagit shelter tonight since so many came with their RVs.The shelter will be open at least overnight into Wednesday, and McCalister said the team with reevaluate tomorrow.
Betsy Robertson, interim executive director of the local Red Cross chapter, said they’re prepared to be open as long as needed.
After the water recedes, the Red Cross will go into “casework mode,” McCalister said.”We have caseworkers work with these individuals and give resources and referrals, we also give financial support,” he said. Robertson urged people who are coming to the shelter to bring personal items like medications, important documents and food for pets if they’re bringing them.
“We were in this exact location just two years ago and served a Thanksgiving dinner here,” Robertson said. “This is obviously one of those frontline communities that experiences flooding year after year. We’re happy to have a relationship with this community, that they know we are a trusted location that they can come to and get some help.”
Workers contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city have been building up the levee near Hamilton.
Brandon Nutter, an employee of Louis Nutter Sr. Trucking in Mount Vernon, said they started raising the levee at 9:45 p.m. last night. So far, they’ve raised it about 3 feet by putting additional rock on top of the existing levee.
Downstream where the Skagit River separates Burlington from Mount Vernon, the corps rebuilt levees after significant floods in 2020 and 2021.
“Everything’s doing well so far. We’re very appreciative of the work that they did this summer,” said Rogers.
Skagit emergency officials advised residents of traditionally flood-prone communities to be prepared to leave their homes in a release Tuesday. These included Marblemount, Rockport, Thunderbird Lane, Concrete, Cape Horn, Birdsview, Hamilton, Cockerham, Lyman and Day Creek.
Ferndale
In Ferndale, a flood warning is in effect until early Thursday morning, according to the weather service, when the Nooksack River is expected to rise above the flood stage of 18 feet later today.
Some streets have standing water within the city. The intersection of Marine Drive and Ferndale Road is expected to close soon, according to county public works sources.
Sumas
In a Facebook post early Tuesday afternoon, Sumas city officials said flood levels were leveling off following heavy rain last night and early this morning.
The flood gauge located at the Cedarville crossing reached minor flood stage, the post stated. Everson may experience minor flooding and some water is expected to overflow near Emerson Road, but the impact was expected to be minimal, according to the post.
CDN staffers Charlotte Alden, Finn Wendt and Hailey Hoffman contributed to this report.
A photo caption was updated at 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 to correct the first name of Sunshine Manderle. Cascadia Daily News regrets the error.
