As floodwaters swelled around Washington, threatening low-lying communities along rivers, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a statewide emergency declaration on Wednesday.

Ferguson says he’ll also seek an expedited emergency declaration from the federal government in response to the flooding, which is the result of an atmospheric river that has dumped multiple inches of rain in parts of the state since Monday. A National Weather Service forecast for Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon showed 6 to 8 inches of rain in communities on the western edge of the Cascades, like Concrete, Gold Bar, and Darrington. Even more rain is forecast at higher elevations. “Lives will be at stake in the coming days,” Ferguson says, urging people to follow evacuation orders. 

Ferguson also activated the Washington National Guard through Dec. 31. Adjutant General Gent Welsh says 100 guard members will deploy immediately and more than 300 by the end of the day today, including aviators and rescue specialists. National Guard members will be positioned near Skagit County, according to Karina Shagren, a spokesperson for the Washington Military Department. Robert Ezelle, director of the Military Department’s Emergency Management Division, emphasizes the deluge is “far from done” and warns that next week could bring more wet weather.

Mud and debris spread across Highway 2. The road closed on Wednesday. Crews are planning to reassess conditions today.

Photo courtesy of WSDOT

Rivers from around the Canadian border down to southwest Washington are at moderate to major flood stage, with water levels expected to remain high through the end of the week. Officials expect a number of rivers to reach or exceed record flood levels. In total, 26 across Washington are at risk of some level of flooding. A chief concern is the Skagit River, where Ezelle says current flood levels are expected to surpass a 1990 record by about 4 feet upriver. County officials are preparing to evacuate about 75,000 people from low-lying areas in that region, according to Ezelle. Ferguson wrote in a social media post that 100,000 people in the state could end up under evacuation orders due to flood hazards. 

Ezelle says levees on the Skagit and other rivers could be overtopped, as well as a floodwall in Arlington. The weather service warns of “catastrophic flooding impacts” along the Skagit and Snohomish rivers through Thursday. Rising floodwaters on Wednesday prompted varying levels of evacuation orders in Orting in Pierce County, parts of Skagit County and Ebey Island between Everett and Lake Stevens. And washouts have closed many roads.

The emergency declaration will give the state the chance to seek federal funds in response to the flooding. Ferguson describes it as critical and says it will help to unlock potentially life-saving resources for the state. The State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray has been activated to its highest level to help coordinate state assistance for the flooding. Four swift water rescue teams are being mobilized to aid in response efforts.

A slew of major routes and local roads are experiencing closures. A 50-mile stretch of Highway 2 is closed between Index and Coles Corner, west of Leavenworth, due to heavy rain causing slides and flooding of the highway. As of 2 p.m., state transportation officials have no estimate on when the major east-west route will reopen. As of around 8 p.m. Wednesday, all eastbound lanes on Interstate 90 between mileposts 27 and 32 were closed after a debris slide hit the roadway, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Law enforcement is directing traffic through the area.

“This is historic flooding,” Ferguson says. Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell called it “potential once-in-a-lifetime flooding.” She says she is also working to get federal assistance to respond to it. “NOAA forecasters are anticipating potentially record-breaking flooding along the Skagit, Snohomish, and Columbia rivers,” Cantwell wrote in a statement after a briefing with National Weather Service officials. She urged people in those areas to pay attention to emergency alerts, follow instructions from the local authorities, and be prepared to move.

Washington has previously struggled to access federal disaster funding under the Trump administration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, multiple times, refused the state’s request for aid following last year’s bomb cyclone, which caused significant storm damage. 

“We need the federal government to do what’s entirely appropriate here, which is to declare an emergency that taps into the resources and the assistance from the federal government that literally can help us save lives, and help individuals save their homes and their property and their livestock,” Ferguson says. Trump has floated axing the agency entirely, leaving states to fend for themselves after natural disasters, and has favored Republican-led states for federal help.

FEMA says it had deployed response teams to Washington, with more on standby. The agency’s Regional Response Coordination Center in Bothell was also activated. Ferguson says he will speak with regional FEMA officials and plans to visit hard-hit areas in the coming days.

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