TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) — Residents near a breached levee in Washington state were told to evacuate early Tuesday, just hours after an evacuation alert was lifted for residents near another broken levee in the same county. Police in the city of Pacific, located about 20 miles south of Seattle, urged people in the evacuation area near the White River to 'Go Now!' The National Weather Service in Seattle issued a flash flood warning due to the levee breach affecting the river in King County.
The breaches came after days of incessant rain and flooding, which inundated numerous communities, forced tens of thousands to evacuate, and required multiple rescues throughout the western part of the state. On Monday, emergency crews worked to shore up the Desimone levee beside the Green River after a small section collapsed due to the heavy rainfall, leading to a broader evacuation order for parts of three suburbs.
King County officials reported sending evacuation notices to approximately 1,100 homes and businesses east of the Green River, impacting residents in parts of Kent, Renton, and Tukwila. Just hours before the levee breach, officials had lifted a prior evacuation alert, allowing residents to safely return to their homes without report of injuries. Earlier Monday, authorities in Renton and Tukwila stated that flooding was mostly contained to industrial regions, thus no evacuations were needed at that time.
The breaches came after days of incessant rain and flooding, which inundated numerous communities, forced tens of thousands to evacuate, and required multiple rescues throughout the western part of the state. On Monday, emergency crews worked to shore up the Desimone levee beside the Green River after a small section collapsed due to the heavy rainfall, leading to a broader evacuation order for parts of three suburbs.
King County officials reported sending evacuation notices to approximately 1,100 homes and businesses east of the Green River, impacting residents in parts of Kent, Renton, and Tukwila. Just hours before the levee breach, officials had lifted a prior evacuation alert, allowing residents to safely return to their homes without report of injuries. Earlier Monday, authorities in Renton and Tukwila stated that flooding was mostly contained to industrial regions, thus no evacuations were needed at that time.
