TUKWILA, Wash. — In the wake of ongoing heavy rains and flooding, residents near a breached levee in Washington state are being urged to evacuate. The call to evacuate came early Tuesday morning, just hours after a previous alert for another levee breach in the same county was lifted.
Authorities in Pacific, a city about 20 miles south of Seattle, are advising residents in the affected area near the White River to ‘Go Now!’ as the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning following the levee breach in King County.
Heavy rain over the past several days has already inundated local communities, necessitating the evacuation of tens of thousands of people across western Washington and leading to numerous rescue operations.
On the previous day, emergency crews worked to fortify the Desimone levee alongside the Green River after part of it failed due to the torrential downpour. As a result, an evacuation order was put in place for approximately 1,100 homes and businesses in the suburbs of Kent, Renton, and Tukwila, according to Brendan McCluskey, the emergency management director for King County.
Earlier on Monday, the evacuation alert for areas east of the Green River had been lifted, allowing residents to return home; fortunately, no injuries were reported. Despite recent flooding conditions, local officials stated that the affected areas remained limited to industrial zones and that residential evacuations had not been necessary at that time.
This situation continues to develop, and authorities remain vigilant as they monitor the steadily changing conditions across the region.
