Sky Valley recovering in wake of major storm

The Sky Valley experienced historic flood levels last Tuesday, as heavy wind and rain swept across the region, toppling trees and knocking out power. Roads were flooded in some areas and completely washed away in others, as the Skykomish River raged through at 100,000 cubic feet per second.

The storm wreaked havoc on roads, homes, businesses and families. A Monroe man died after a tree struck his vehicle, and a Sultan-áman was seriously injured after he was electrocuted by live wires that had fallen in the storm. Also in Sultan, a resident had to be pulled from her Main Street apartment after water quickly rose on Tuesday evening, setting a new record for the third-highest crest at 21.38 feet.

Floodwaters rushed through downtown Sultan, reaching all the way to Coastal Community Bank, located at Fifth and Main streets. Community volunteers furiously worked filling and distributing sandbags, but the high water levels took everyone by surprise.-á

Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick initiated discussion about the storm during last Thursday's Sultan City Council meeting.

Based on NOAA forecasts, Sultan officials were anticipating moderate flooding. Roads started closing Tuesday afternoon, as the expected flooding began to occur. In downtown Sultan, waters from the Sultan River came into the city, covering First Street and almost reaching Second, which is typical. Even at around 5 p.m., things seemed relatively normal.-á

"When I talked to my staff at 5, there was still not a lot of concern about what was going on. We kept thinking that it was going to end,GÇ¥ said Eslick, who had been at an event in Seattle. She arrived back in Sultan at around 5:30 Tuesday evening.-á "By the time I got here, and saw where the water was in that short half an hour time, we were in crisis mode. We were trying to put out a fire. That's what it really amounted to.GÇ¥

According to Sultan City Administrator Ken Walker, the city received notification at 3 p.m. that water was going over the spillway at the Culmback Dam at Spada Lake. Located roughly 30 miles northeast of Sultan, the Culmback Dam spillway has sufficient capacity to handle a moderate flood event, but Tuesday's storm exceeded that capacity, and water began flowing out of the spillway.

"We immediately went down and we started observing,GÇ¥ Walker said. "Based on all of the modeling, anything from the dam should reach us within 45 minutes.GÇ¥

Flood levels remained moderate throughout the afternoon, Walker said. They monitored the levels carefully, watching the water, and noticed no dramatic increase.

"By 5 o'clock we figured if there's no increase, we're good to go,GÇ¥ Walker said.

As the community's volunteer emergency response coordinator, Councilmember Rocky Walker was closely monitoring the situation, but somehow a miscommunication occurred. He understood that the Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) would be performing a controlled release of water from the dam, a technique that can be used during flooding events to release pressure. The fact that water had exceeded the capacity of the spillway was not clearly communicated to him.

A controlled release and a spill are two entirely different things, said Rocky Walker.

During an intentional release, the PUD can control exactly how much water is released from the dam, and can predict how much water will reach the city in the 45-minute time frame. With water coming out of the spillway, there is absolutely no control, and it is far more difficult to predict when and how much water will flow into the Sultan River. With Tuesday's heavy rainfall, the water levels exceeded all expectations.-á

"That spillway sits 100 feet below the top of the dam up there, and is designed for the intentional purpose that the water will never be able to go over the top of that dam,GÇ¥ Rocky Walker said. "That's what that spillway is designed for, and it did its job.GÇ¥

The problem, he said, really started with the NOAA forecast, which predicted a 17-foot crest. The river exceeded that by 5.38 feet, which took everybody by surprise. The situation was further exacerbated when a major news network erroneously reported that water was coming over the dam and there was imminent danger of collapse.

"The switchboard at city hall lit up, and things just went madhouse,GÇ¥ Ken Walker said. "We reached out immediately to PUD to verify, and PUD said "No that's not happening.' GÇ¥

Cellphone communication became problematic, and the power went out at Sultan City Hall, which compounded the situation. Once it became clear the excess water was due to the spillway, Rocky Walker said they were already behind the 8 ball. Rather than being proactive and having sandbags situated before the floodwaters arrived, he and other volunteers were driving through the floodwaters to deliver the sandbags.

"That's a no-win situation,GÇ¥ Rocky Walker said.

He commended community volunteer Elizabeth Emmons, who rallied dozens of people to help fill sandbags. The community came together in an exceptional way, he said.

"The citizen response was fantastic,GÇ¥ Rocky Walker said.-á -á

"We have an incredible community,GÇ¥ Eslick added. "Let's just say that.GÇ¥

Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Debbie Copple helped local businesses deal with the aftermath. Mike "Mr. DizzyGÇ¥ Buse recently moved his business to the Sultan area, and sustained major damage as more than three feet of water came into his shop. The owners of the New Peking Garden Chinese Restaurant were taken aback by the extent of the flooding, and Copple spent several days helping them with the cleanup.

"The city and the fire department and everyone worked so well together during this flood, it was really impressive. Everybody did what they could,GÇ¥ Copple said. "The sand bagging is not something I can do anymore; I make food for them, and I babysit for those that are a lot stronger and able to do it.GÇ¥

Volunteers of America Director Calei Vaughn reported the organization had distributed several hotel vouchers to locals in need of shelter. The VOA's Sultan foodbank was offering emergency bags of food for distribution that contained easy-to-prepare food items, and VOA staff was working to coordinate efforts with local churches.

"No matter how much we think we're ready, we're never ready,GÇ¥ Eslick said.

In the outlying areas of Sultan, residents on Mann and Ben Howard roads were trapped by floodwaters and left without power, as PUD line workers were unable to cross floodwaters to repair downed lines.-á

Mann Road is a dead-end street located south of U.S. 2 that extends east, traversing in a route that is roughly parallel to the highway. It is accessed via 311th, a short roadway that connects to U.S. 2 from the south, and travels in a north-south direction. From U.S. 2, 311th crosses the railroad tracks and the Skykomish River, and stops at a T-shaped intersection. At the intersection, Mann Road extends to the east and Ben Howard extends to the west. Ben Howard Road winds west along the Skykomish River from Sultan to Monroe.

Both Mann and Ben Howard road became impassable during the storm. Residents were either trapped at their homes or simply unable to get to them.

It was on Ben Howard Road that 23-year-old Grant Strinden was killed when a tree struck his vehicle. Strinden leaves behind his fianc+¬e, Ronicka Messner, and their young daughter. Monroe residents are rallying to provide support for the young family, and fundraisers are in the works.

It was the third time in recent weeks that Mann Road residents became trapped due to water over the roadway near the area known as "Devil's Elbow.GÇ¥ By early Tuesday afternoon, public works staff had closed Mann and Ben Howard roads at the intersection, and 311th quickly became impassable as well, as flood waters spilled over and covered the street in mere moments.

A Snohomish County Sheriff's deputy closed 311th before 3 p.m., and the storm continued to rage.

Lisa Hoesel Finley and her husband, Mike, live east of Devil's Elbow. Flood waters ravaged their home, breaking out windows in their basement. The two were stranded until Mann Road became passable on Wednesday evening, and were without power until Friday. Their well was knocked out of commission as a result of the storm, and the couple was without water for five days; they were without hot water for even longer.

"The devastation of the third flood in 18 days is incomprehensible,GÇ¥ said Lisa Finley. "We understand that the issue is very complex, and appreciate that it will take some time to understand and address the issues. However, we are in need of immediate assistance and answers at federal, state, county and local levels.GÇ¥

The Finleys are second-generation famers; the Finley family has been farming in the area for more than 50 years. The storm was emotionally and physically draining, Lisa Finley said, and the two are uncertain as to what their future will bring in relation to staying on the farm.

The outpouring of support from friends and neighbors has been simply amazing, she said.-á -á

"Our appreciation for our neighbors and our community and their support of all of us who've been so severely impacted by these floods cannot be expressed in words,GÇ¥ Lisa Finley said. "We hope that we are offering as much love and support as we have received, and are looking forward to joining with our neighbors as we recover and look to a brighter future.GÇ¥

In areas along Ben Howard Road, power was not restored until after 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. Dee Waluk-Johnson, who lives between Sultan and Monroe on Ben Howard, was without power or running water for almost six days.

Snohomish County Solid Waste will be implementing a program to help residents and will be distributing vouchers for residents to use at the dump. Once the vouchers are in place, there will be no charge for individuals to discard their flood-damaged items. Residents are being encouraged to wait until they receive the vouchers before making trips to the dump, as reimbursements cannot be guaranteed.

The Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is encouraging all Snohomish County residents who sustained damage to their home or business to report the damages to the DEM. For more information, visit http://snohomishcountywa.gov/180/Emergency-Management.