The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Seattle District, is continuing efforts to aid local and state agencies, to mitigate flood risk to critical infrastructure and property.
Flood teams are deployed to the Skagit, Snohomish and White River basins, monitoring impacts from high flows, and providing technical support and direct assistance to local and county partners.
Public Law 84-99 enables the Army Corps to assist state and local authorities in flood fight activities when local resources are overwhelmed. The purpose is to prevent loss of life and minimize property damage associated with severe weather.
As of noon, Dec. 19, USACE delivered 2 sandbag machines, nine pumps, about 14,800 linear feet of Gabion Baskets, 3,820 Super Sacks, 53 Poly Rolls and 265,000 sandbags to multiple locations in the affected areas. Private citizens seeking sandbags should contact their local government offices.
USACE’s Reservoir Control Center will continue operating local dams around the clock for flood risk reduction, while its Emergency Operations Center is responding to local requests for flood fight assistance.
The Army Corps operates dams in the White/Puyallup, Green/Duwamish, Skagit and Wynoochee basins for flood risk reduction. Dam operators had drawn down reservoirs to typical seasonal levels in preparation for the fall and winter flood season.
USACE operates Mud Mountain Dam and Howard A. Hanson Dam, and works with Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy and Tacoma Public Utilities to assist Wynoochee, Ross and Upper Baker Dams for flood control, regulating outflows to manage downstream flood risk.
Reservoir data from USACE reservoirs are available at here or https://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/nws/hh/www/index.html
The National Weather Service issues flood watches and warnings and should be consulted for updated information.