Cat: 309 Flood

Three things are certain in Snoqualmie Valley — death, taxes and flooding. Every year, the Snoqualmie River rises over it banks, flooding nearby homes. On average, more flood insurance claims are filed by residents of Snoqualmie than by any other city in Washington, according to state officials.

And flooding in the valley has only become more severe in the past 15 years, according to King County river gauges.

SnoValley Star’s three-part series, “Living with flooding,” was a comprehensive look at how the valley’s residents have learned to live with flooding.

The series, by Dan Catchpole and Laura Geggel, explored the immediate and long-term affects of flooding on Snoqualmie Valley residents, how and why flooding occurs, the role of flooding in shaping the local ecology, and the formation of current flood management policy.

The reporters used several dozen sources in putting the series together. They found residents who typified the experience of people in the communities. They interviewed municipal and county officials for information about flood management policies; FEMA officials about flood insurance policies; residents for their experiences with these policies; hydrologists for information about the dynamics of flooding on the Snoqualmie River. Stacks of documents were reviewed.

The stories were carefully structured to progress through the issues, and infographics were meticulously created by one of the reporters to enhance the articles.

Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington

December 17, 2009 VOL. 2, NO. 48

Wildcats notch first wins Page 14

NB City Council has two new faces Former councilman Chris Garcia and retired school administrator Jeanne Petterson appointed to two-year terms.

U-cut farms U-cut Christmas tree farms blossom in Valley.

Page 10.

Dropping enrollment Snoqualmie schools see enrollment decline. Page 3.

Girls basketball Wildcats get first win for first year coach. Page 14.

Rudy says ‘bye’ After 20 years, Rudy Edwards leaves school board. Page 7.

Salmon science Middle school students get inside look at salmon.

Page 12.

Jingle Bell run Valley residents run to cure arthritis. Page 10.

Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER

By Tara Ballenger After more than an hour of public interviews, the North Bend City Council deliberated in a closed session for twenty minutes before emerging to name the two new council members— Jeanne Petterson and Chris Garcia.

Before announcing their decisions to the public, the council emphasized that all four candidates were well qualified, and

North Bend to improve wheelchair ramps Chris Garcia

When Charlotte Esch has a sweet tooth, she likes to satisfy it at George’s Bakery & Deli.

But while the little shop on West North Bend Way is the perfect place to sink her teeth into doughnuts, sticky buns and myriad pastries, getting to the heavenly treats from her apartment on Main Avenue in her wheel chair can be challenging because of the city center’s outdated curb ramps.

that North Bend had an “embarrassment of riches” when it came to civic-minded citizens ready to step up and make a difference.

“This was one of those impossible decisions to make,” councilman David Cook said. He encouraged those who were not selected to stay involved in city affairs and volunteer for other See COUNCIL, Page 2

By Tara Ballenger

Jeanne Petterson

See RAMPS, Page 3

Living with flooding: a valley endures

By Dan Catchpole and Laura Geggel

LIVING WITH

In freezing-cold rain, Julie Randazzo and other Snoqualmie residents frantically filled sandbags. Her back and shoulders ached after hours of lifting shovelfuls of wet, heavy sand into the bags. The sun had set, but the Snoqualmie River was still rising.

Randazzo knew that if she and her husband, Harold Nesland, were going to save their business, Sahara Pizza and Adventure Lanes, they would need more sandbags.

She dug the shovel into the pile of sand once more.

As much as Seattle is known for its rain, Snoqualmie Valley is making headlines because of its flooding. People move to the Valley for its natural beauty, much of it thanks to waterways enabling the flooding in the first place. Still, many people endure the flood and find ways to coexist with high waters. Through preparation, people can move their possessions beyond the water’s reach and be ready to sandbag at a moment’s notice, just like Randazzo and Nesland.

Together with some of their employees, they filled and stacked the bags around the eighty-yearold building, in hopes of keeping the floodwaters at bay. Their livelihood depended on how well their preparations stood up.

FLOODING Part 1 of 3

Shortly after dinnertime, Randazzo and Nesland said ‘goodbye.’ With the floodwaters rising in the upper Snoqualmie Valley, she and their five children needed to get out before the roads were cut off.

“I barely got out of town with the kids,” she said. “The water had already started coming up over the road, and I wasn’t sure if my van was high File photo enough to get over the water.”

A Snoqualmie Valley resident paddles a makeshift raft through floodwater Randazzo rolled the dice and during the January 2009 flood. cleared the water without flooding her engine.

Nesland and three others wouldn’t have been enough to army, sandbagging wouldn’t save stayed at the bowling alley cover the $150,000 it would cost their house. Kimball Creek runs through the night, pumping to replace the lacquered wood through their backyard, which is water for nine hours straight to floors. only half a mile from the keep from damaging the lanes.

Randazzo spent a sleepless Snoqualmie River.

Despite sandbagging the buildnight at on high ground, calling They raised everything they ing’s exposed sides, water was still Nesland for updates. By the time could off the floor and went next seeping in under the pin changthe sun rose, the worst had passed door to their neighbor’s house, ing machines, which were bolted and their business had survived which was on higher ground. to a slab of concrete. The bolts, another flood.

“Me and my wife just sat over Randazzo said, must run into the Not far from Sahara Pizza, Don on the porch and watched our dirt, which was saturated. and Nancy Ekberg were waiting house go ‘bloop, bloop, bloop’,” “If it destroys the lanes, it for the water to subside to see Ekberg said, imitating the sound would pretty much destroy the how their house fared.

See FLOODING, Page 6 business,” she said. Insurance Without the help of a small

SnoValley Star

PAGE 6

DECEMBER 17, 2009

Flooding

Snoqualmie River flood phases:

From Page 1 of air escaping.

The water in their driveway was neck deep. Inside their house, which was around three feet off the ground, it was 30 inches deep.

They waited two days for it to subside before opening their front door.

“We lost everything,” Ekberg said. Beds, appliances, furniture, cabinets, flooring, carpeting and drywall were ruined.

Fortunately, there was no mud inside their home, but everything was “sopping, soaking wet,” from water mixed with paint, oil, raw sewage and other effluence, he recalled.

There was a big wheel tricycle 10 feet up a tree in their backyard, and a refrigerator floated by at one point.

Ekberg did the only thing he could and started throwing out what was beyond repair and tearing out wet drywall.

Since buying their house in 2005, Ekberg and his wife have already endured two major and one minor flood events. It is the first house either one has owned.

The flood in 2006 was emotionally devastating for the couple. Their house had 12 inches of water in it.

“Here’s our brand new house, and it just got trashed,” Ekberg said.

Three years later, they were hit with a financially devastating flood.

“In 2009, I was just plain pissed,” he said.

When there is a major flood event on the Snoqualmie River, it leaves behind a swath of damage and destruction.

Flooding happened more often than not at the old St. Clare Episcopal Church. Trouble first seeped into the basement in a rain-induced mini-flood of four inches of water in January 2006, which sat for several days before a member discovered the unorthodox wading pool.

A few months later “in May, we noticed that the ceiling in the church was getting back marks on it,” said the Reverend Patty Baker,

Phase 1 2 3

Flow level 6,000 c.f.s.* 12,000 c.f.s.

20,000 c.f.s.

4

38,000 c.f.s.

Description Internal Alert Lowland flooding Flooding in the entire Snoqualmie Valley Some residential areas may experi ence dangerous high velocities and flooding of homes.

*c.f.s.= cubic (of water) feet per second Source: King County, United States Geological Survey

Contributed

Floodwater in Snoqualmie Valley usually moves slowly but can pick up speed in localized incidents, such as this one near Fall City in January. the church’s pastor. “We realized there was mold growing in there.”

A mold removal company advised the congregation to leave the building, as mold can affect people with at-risk immune systems. In May 2006, the congregation moved next door to the parish hall.

A week before the November 2006 flood, the congregation met to discuss repairing the church.

“We said, ‘this will work but it will never keep us from being flooded again,” Baker said. “How much money do we keep pouring into a facility that is so severely compromised and so unable to be protected from further flooding?

We could have spent thousands of dollars to fix the problem and we could never have addressed that the next flood would have caused the same damage again.”

After the 2006 flood, the congregation opted to demolish the flooded church. The parish hall survived the 2008 flood because it is built higher ground.

“The building itself is up on a little bit of a rise,” Baker said. “We are very thankful for that.”

Snoqualmie Valley

owners in Snoqualmie reported an estimated $1.4 million in damages to King County. Ten busiSchool District racked up over nesses reported damages worth $1.7 million in damages when, in nearly $300,000, and the city had 2009, water flooded Mount Si over $270,000 in flood-related High School, the first floor of the costs itself. district’s administration building However, these numbers were and caused damage across the dis- down from the 2006 flood, when trict, especially to elementary Snoqualmie residents reported an school playgrounds. The district estimated $2 million in residential had to pay for repairs out of pock- damages and the city had over et and is still waiting to be repaid $550,000 in flood-related costs. from its insurance companies, disSnoqualmie’s residents file trict spokeswoman Carolyn more flood insurance claims than Malcolm said. do residents of any other city in After the 2009 flood, homeWashington, according to several officials.

Snoqualmie Valley regularly floods. Unlike other rivers in Western Washington, it is an unregulated river. Typical flood control measures, such as a dam at the river’s headwaters or a levee system, have been found to be unsuitable for Snoqualmie River by King County officials and flooding experts.

“It’s much more of a wild river,” said Clint Loper, King County’s supervising engineer for the Snoqualmie River basin. “Partly because of that it’s retained its rural character.”

Much of that rural character is found in agriculture. The upper Snoqualmie Valley basin spans 367 square miles Source: King County and the Snoqualmie River Basin supports more than

THE

RIGHT

4,500 acres of farmland. That farmland is usually first to flood when rain and snow run-off expands the river.

The river floods today much the way it has since glaciers created it 12,000 years ago.

The river’s floodwaters can be deep but are usually slow moving.

Typically, the greatest damage is from inundation, such as happened to Ekberg and St. Clare Episcopal Church. However, there can be times when conditions create fast-flowing water in a small area, which can undermine a building’s foundation.

Another very serious danger is what experts call “channel migration,” when a river moves across the landscape. The Snoqualmie River is most likely to move in the lower valley, with its flat floor and around its Middle and South Forks.

“It’s an area of high instability and with a lot of houses,” Loper said.

Predicting where the two forks might move to is very difficult.

“Geologically its an unstable point,” he said.

Despite the river’s unpredictable nature, many people choose to live in the Valley for its natural aesthetics. Without a control dam, flooding will continue to occur, Loper said, but that doesn’t mean Ekberg is ready to pack her bags.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Ekberg said. “We love it here.

Snoqualmie Valley’s a beautiful place 361 days of the year. It’s those other four days a year that you hate.”

W

TRACTION

We’ll do it fast. We’ll do it right. And you’ll know if you’re good to go!

Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington

December 24, 2009 VOL. 2, NO. 49

Wildcats soar over Liberty Page 16

Living with flooding: managing growth and environment in the floodplain LIVING WITH

By Dan Catchpole and Laura Geggel

New City Hall opens Snoqualmie’s new City Hall opens, putting city departments in one place.

Page 7.

Land use tensions Rural landowners bristle under city-oriented county government, report finds.

Page 5.

Sock hop back in school Chief Kanim students learn 1950s dance, poodle skirts and all. Page 15.

Tribe to build houses The low-income housing will be paid for, in part, by federal stimulus money.

Page 7.

Flooding. It’s an all-too familiar part of life for many residents of Snoqualmie Valley. Since moving to the Valley in 2005, Snoqualmie residents Don and Nancy Ekberg have had their home flooded twice. Businessowner and resident Julie Randazzo and her husband Harold Nesland have sandbagging their pizza restaurant and bowling alley down to a science.

But flooding is part of Snoqualmie Valley’s natural rhythm, say experts. And many of them agree that fighting it is a losing battle.

Today, King County has a work-with-nature approach to flood management, which reflects both the high costs of trying to control flooding and the ecological value of flooding.

At the same time, the county and the Valley have grown very quickly in recent decades, and the county must balance development and flood management.

“The one thing about floodplains we’re sure of is that they flood,” said Dave Montgomery, river expert and geomorphology professor at the University of Washington. “Over the long run, sometimes avoidance of a hazard is the best policy.”

FLOODING Part 2 of 3

Photo by Alan Berner

The Snoqualmie River pours out of its banks last January, flooding the Valley wall to wall near Carnation. A river’s floodplain is really the river at high flow, says David Montgomery, a geomorphology professor at the University of Washington.

Along the Snoqualmie, the county has decided it is more cost effective to buy out or ele-

vate homes to move residents out of harm’s way, rather than put in hard fixes, such as a dam

or levee system.

Relying on these solutions can cause problems down the line.

“A lot of things can go not according to plan,” Montgomery noted, pointing to the Green River’s Howard Hanson Dam as an example.

After the dam and a levee system were built, the county encouraged industrial development along the Green River. But the dam has proven to be less stable than anticipated and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working with local engineers to find a long-term fix. Some rivers themselves also have been altered, reducing their ability to manage high water.

In the meantime, part of King County’s industrial core is at elevated flood risk.

“How wise are we to assume that the flood controls today are always going to be there?”

Montgomery asked. So, “there’s this long-term debate about what is the best land use on a See FLOOD, Page 2

Governor’s budget would Unemployment brings new challenges to Valley cut money for schools

Cards for Marines NBES students send holiday cards to Marines overseas. Page 14.

Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER

By Laura Geggel As Washington faces a $2.6 billion budget shortfall, the Snoqualmie Valley School District is gauging how much it could be affected by the cuts.

Last year’s $3.35 million budget cuts were hard enough.

The district cut 11 teaching positions and cut three of its four library positions at the middle and high school levels.

Five custodians lost their jobs and the remaining 21 custodians received pay cuts. The middle school extra curricular program lost $300,000, forcing

the district to start a pay-toplay policy for both clubs and sports. In 2010, cuts may be even more drastic. Governor Chris Gregoire released her proposed 2010 supplemental budget earlier this month. In a news release, Gregoire said though she was legally required to submit a balanced budget, she did so “with the greatest reluctance.”

“This document is not true to the values I believe in and which have guided me through a 30-year career in public sice,” See BUDGET, Page 6

By Tara Ballenger As 2009 winds to a close, layoffs, foreclosures and debt have wreaked havoc on the financial and personal lives of many Americans.

While experts say that the Snoqualmie Valley is seeing similar hard times, it is an area that has grown accustomed to prosperity, and many Snoqualmie and North Bend residents have been blindsided by sudden unemployment.

Unemployment in Washington has recently started to slow. Around 9.2 percent of

state residents in the job market were unemployed in November, down from 9.3 percent in October. King county is not much better off—around 10,000 people have been laid off in the county in 2009 and the unemployment rate was 8.8 percent in November.

“Unemployment has risen in Washington state and all across King County,” not only in Seattle, said Desiree Phair, regional labor economist for the Washington Employment Security Department.

See JOBS, Page 6

SnoValley Star

PAGE 2 -

Recent high flows on Snoqualmie River CARNATION GAGE

SNOQUALMIE GAGE

S

qu a no

tR Tol

iver

No

lmie River

Carnation

FORKS GAGE

rth

Fork

Snoqualmie ing Rag

North Bend

er Riv

rk e Fo l d Mid Sou th F

ork

SNOQUALMIE RIVER BASIN Values are in cubic square feet per second.

Illustration by Dan Catchpole

Source: King County, United States Geological Survey

King County flooding services: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding.aspx Basic information about preparing for a flood: www.kingcounty.gov/safety/FloodPlan

Information about flood insurance: www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/ Live river-flow information: http://green.kingcounty.gov/rivergagedata/gage-data.aspx?r=green

DECEMBER 24, 2009

Flood From Page 1 flood plain. What are we willing to allow on places in a flood plain?”

Today, the county tries to find a cost effective way of minimizing risk.

“We’re at a point where we recognize we need to help people better live with flooding,” said Clint Loper, King County’s supervising engineer for the Snoqualmie River basin.

Snoqualmie Valley “has been a floodplain historically; this continues to be a floodplain,” he said, explaining the county’s view on flooding in the Valley.

The river ties the Valley together, running like a ribbon from the northern end to the south, where its three branches split off like strands of frayed rope. The river floods today much as it has since a massive sheet of ice last retreated northward thousands of years ago. It rolls down from the Cascade Mountains to the Skykomish River to form the Snohomish River and into the Pacific Ocean.

Most days, the Snoqualmie River peacefully passes along, but when the conditions are right, the river surges over its banks, flooding the fields, forests and communities in the Valley.

The Snoqualmie River’s flow – the amount of water in the channel – is unregulated. There are no dams on the forks to control its headwaters. It is a mix when it comes to flood management, with levees and revetments used in some places to protect developed areas at high-risk of flood damage even during small flows. Many of these areas are along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River

in and around North Bend.

Noticeable flooding typically occurs after a heavy rain lands on already saturated ground, said Brent Bower, a service hydrologist in the National Weather Service’s Seattle office.

He is responsible for issuing flood predictions.

Those conditions occur most often in late fall through winter, but flooding can happen any time of the year.

Flooding is a natural process that can be thought of as the river at maximum flow.

“Rivers aren’t designed to carry all the flows they get.

The floodplain is the river at high flow,” said David Montgomery, a river expert and geomorphology professor at the University of Washington.

When the Snoqualmie River floods in its natural state, it reshapes the landscape around it, forming new habitats for fish and animals, and depositing nutrient-rich soil on the valley floor.

“You can think of a river as the circulatory system of the landscape – the flow of energy and material is organized through the channel system,” Montgomery said.

The ecological importance of a river typically goes far beyond the space it occupies.

“To the things that live in and along the river, the things that come along with the flood are pretty important,” he said.

This is especially true for salmon, which spawn in the lower Snoqualmie River.

For the people who live along the river, the effects of flooding can be devastating.

Randazzo twice almost lost her business, and Ekberg suffered thousands of dollars of damage to his home, not to mention the stress that came along with See FLOOD, Page 3

SnoValley Star

DECEMBER 24, 2009

Flood

started bringing in fill, like gravel, and built on top of it. Railroad beds, roads and culverts changed the landscape.

From Page 2 After being hit by bad floods in watching water rush into his 1959, levees were built in and new home. around North Bend. The city saw They aren’t the first humans to a decline in flooding after that, have endured flooding along the which prompted further developSnoqualmie. ment, including the Factory Humans have been drawn to Stores, the Nintendo warehouse the benefits of the Snoqualmie and the Shamrock Park neighborRiver for thousands of years. hood.

Snoqualmie “(We have) Tribe’s ancesmassive new “Rivers aren’t designed to tors were investments, carry all the flows they get. and now they hunters and gatherers in the The floodplain is the river at have to be profertile lower tected,” high flow.”

Valley. White Vinnedge said. settlers came for In King — David Montgomery the Valley’s Geomorphology professor County, more agricultural and University of Washington than $7 billion timber lands. worth of develFlooding was opment was of little consebuilt over time quence when the population was in the floodplain, according to a sparse, said Gardiner Vinnedge, a 2007 county estimate.

North Bend historian.

“We’re in a region that’s growAt first, “there just weren’t that ing,” and local, county and state many people here to notice it and policy is designed to allow develthey didn’t have that much at opment to happen, Loper said. stake,” Vinnedge said.

King County has been changLogging led to more flooding ing its development policies to and dead trees jammed the increasingly restrict development Snoqualmie River. As farmers in floodplains. To qualify for the moved in, they began to drain federal flood insurance program, swampy areas and straighten municipalities must adhere to waterways, such as Gardiner FEMA’s strict guidelines for develCreek, named for Gardiner opment in floodways – the federVinnedge’s great-grandparents. ally-designated core of a floodThe creek meanders down from plain.

Rattlesnake Mountain and Loper couldn’t say whether or through Forster Woods, but not the county would build the straightens when it hits levees in the same way today as Meadowbrook Farm. When the they were originally built, but it is settlers straightened it, its water in the process of a $5 million began to move faster. levee restoration and improve“You begin messing with the ment project on the South Fork. natural patterns and you begin to While dredging hasn’t been get changes,” Vinnedge said. done in upper Snoqualmie Valley “You’d begin to have washouts for years, the county widened the and silt and more severe flooding, but it would have been very local.”

People began building permanent, more valuable structures they didn’t want flooded. They

Let’s Worship Together

river’s channel just above the falls in 2004-05, which had a similar affect to dredging. The project was designed to reduce flood elevations upstream in the city of Snoqualmie by 1.5 feet during a 100-year flow.

Flood management often comes down to a cost analysis, according to experts.

The question becomes “how much does society want to subsidize people on a flood plain?”

Montgomery said.

Growth has come, in large part, by building on previously undeveloped lands. Between the late 1970s and 2002 in Washington, about 1.2 million acres of forestland, almost all of it privately owned, were converted to other land uses, including development, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. That is a little more than the size of the Olympic and Mt. Rainier National Parks combined.

Each year between the late 1980s and 2004, over 30,000 acres of forestland around Puget Sound were lost, much of it being used for rural-residential and urban development, according to Luke Rogers at the UW College of Forest Resources. That is an area roughly half the size of Seattle.

Development typically means more runoff when it rains. The faster and more runoff there is, the worse flooding will likely be.

“The biggest change is if it gets developed into towns, buildings, streets, which have 100 percent runoff,” said Bower.

However, the amount of development in Snoqualmie Valley likely falls far short of what would be needed to cause a noticeable rise in flood levels, he said.

The Valley’s flood storage capacity could have even possibly

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The Snoqualmie River’s full force pours over the falls during the January flood. increased as former logging areas converted back to forest, he said.

New development in a river’s floodplain must meet strict guidelines before work can begin, but building in uplands can affect flooding, as well.

In King County, all development outside a floodplain must still minimize its effect on changes in runoff characteristics.

For large developments, solutions include structures such as stormwater holding ponds.

No engineering solution will be as good as the natural setting, Loper said.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext.

246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

Comment online at www.snovalleystar.com.

Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington

December 31, 2009 VOL. 2, NO. 50

See finalists for City Hall art Page 9

Living with flooding: Learning to coexist alongside the river

Chamber taps Valley fixture for director

By Tara Ballenger

to live beside wild rivers prone to seasonal flooding.

Together, they are finding a way to coexist with the river.

For many the answer is elevating their houses. More and more homes in Snoqualmie and North Bend have been raised up in recent years. The sight of a house

Beginning Jan. 1, Fritz Ribary—former mayor of North Bend and current commissioner for the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital district—will begin his new job as the executive director of the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Executive director is a fulltime paid position and is responsible for the day-to-day operations and activities of the Chamber. Ribrary was chosen over several other candidates on Dec. 23, after several interviews and a 40-minute presentation for the interviewing committee.

Ribary said he is excited to come on board as executive director of the Chamber, after serving as president and vice president in the past.

“The time is right for groups of businesses, organizations and cities to take a look at how they're doing things, and to partner rather than trying to do everything on their own or inde-

See FLOOD, Page 2

See CHAMBER, Page 6

County cuts 4H money The cuts will force some parts of program to scale back. Page 8.

5th District race is on Two candidates are looking to unseat the incumbent 5th District legislators. Page 7.

Quake shakes Valley Snoqualmie Valley shook from a small earthquake Dec. 24. Page 6.

Photo by Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times

Sara Posey (left) and Matt Hedger, with Snoqualmie City Parks, unclog a storm drain Nov. 13, 2008, as post-flood clean-up starts. Behind them, Snoqualmie Elementary School is still closed.

By Dan Catchpole and Laura Geggel

LIVING WITH

FLOODING Part 3 of 3

WEB EXTRA

> > www.snovalleystar.com See video of the 2009 floods.

The communities of Snoqualmie Valley have persevered despite heavy floods. The inhabitants are invested in their neighborhoods and don’t want to leave the area’s beautiful setting. Now, the residents and local municipalities with King County’s help are learning how

Take a hike!

Check out Rattlesnake Ledge. Page 12.

Go to class online. Page 11.

Truckers get sweets and Christmas cheer on road

Rail museum grant

By Tara Ballenger

Virtual academy

NW Railway Museum gets grant. Page 11.

Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER

With his suede jacket and cowboy hat to arm him against the cold, Tom Kemp braved the ruthless winds that whip through the parking lot of Ken’s Truck Town off Interstate 90 to deliver homemade cookies to homesick truckers on Christmas.

“If they are out on the lot today, they probably didn’t make it home for Christmas,” said Kemp, the chaplain for the Transport for Christ, International chapel in North Bend, which is a small trailer in the parking lot of Ken’s Truck Town.

Starting a week before Christmas, Kemp would make

the rounds around the big parking lot of Truck Town—one of only four full-service truck stops in Washington—twice a day, carrying dozens of cookies in a white trash bag.

“Hey boss,” he addressed most drivers as he walked up to their semis. Many were sleeping, checking e-mail or just didn’t want to be bothered. But for those who could spare a second, Kemp made a good case for them to take the holiday charity. After all, he has 150 dozen cookies to spare.

“The response was incredible,” Kemp said. At a recent meeting of the Snoqualmie See COOKIES, Page 8

Photo by Tara Ballenger

Far from home, a truck driver (left) takes a sack of cookies from Tom Kemp at Ken’s Truck Town on Christmas. Kemp is the chaplain for the stop’s Transport for Christ, International chapel.

PAGE 2

Flood From Page 1 sitting on stacks of logs as it is being elevated is not uncommon around the upper Valley.

Along other stretches of the river, the county continues to maintain levees and revetments to hold the river in place.

Some residents’ houses have been simply bought out by local government to remove the inhabitants from harm’s way.

Finding a way for people to live and work on floodplains is critically important to Snoqualmie Valley residents and King County, which has major economic interests on floodplains. This is especially true along the Green River, where much of the county’s manufacturing base is located.

Rising above it Snoqualmie residents are interested in house elevations, according to Lauren Hollenbeck, a senior planner for Snoqualmie.

“People don’t want to move.

They want to stay and get their homes elevated,” she said.

After the 2006 flood, around 90 residents applied to have their houses raised, while only 12 applied to have their homes bought out.

Don and Nancy Ekberg are happy to be able to look down on their yard from their front door now that their house has been elevated a full story.

After buying their home in Snoqualmie, it was flooded in 2006 and 2009. It was devastating for them.

The Ekbergs applied to have their home raised after the 2006 flood. They had to wait more than two years for the elevation, and in January 2009, their house was inundated with much higher floodwater than in the previous flood.

Once work started last summer, it only took the contractor, Roswold, Inc. of North Bend, about five weeks to complete.

Ekberg takes the delay in stride, chalking it up to “bureaucratic backlog.”

While contractors worked on their home, the Ekbergs slept in a camper.

“We used to walk up four steps, now we go up 15,” Nancy said as she smiled.

The home elevation has brought peace of mind.

“If we hadn’t been raised up, I would’ve walked away—screw my credit,” Ekberg said.

The elevations are “extremely cost-effective,” Hollenbeck said. “They’re easier to get funding for than if you’re dredging the river or something like that.”

The bulk of the money comes from the federal government and is managed by FEMA. Communities must compete for

SnoValley Star reduced rate on the money, “If we hadn’t been the insurance. except for some raised up, I would’ve “FEMA’s federal grants walked away—screw my development like the Hazard guidelines don’t Mitigation Grant credit.” preclude any Program. The — Don Ekberg development in grant is available Snoqualmie resident the floodway, to cities after but it does make floods. it more difficult, “It’s easier to said Clint Loper, go after because it’s not nationally-competitive,” King County’s supervising hydraulic engineer for the Hollenbeck said.

Snoqualmie River basin.

Since the 1980s, around 120 Snoqualmie, North Bend and homes in Snoqualmie have King County, which manages been elevated or built as elevated by the city and homeowners. unincorporated areas, have Home elevations are effective adopted strict development standards. For example, in part because the Snoqualmie River’s floodwaters are generally Snoqualmie limits density in the floodplain by requiring at not fast moving. If they were, least five acres before a resideneven raised houses would be at risk of having their foundations’ tial unit can be subdivided.

Because of that and other meaundermined. sures, flood insurance rates for Snoqualmie Valley residents Snoqualmie residents are typically have a day or two warning of impending flooding. reduced 25 percent.

In unincorporated areas, “For two days, you’re sitting there, waiting for your house to King County has a zero-rise standard. No new development get flooded,” he said. can have a noticeable affect on After the floods, the mental the flood level. and emotional stress of having However, this has been to put their lives back together relaxed somewhat in lower took a toll as well. Besides the Snoqualmie Valley to make it quantifiable damages to their easier for farmers to build farm house and possessions, there were potential irreplaceable loss- pads. The pads are elevated patches of land where they can es as well. move animals and expensive After the 2006 flood, Junior, one of the Ekbergs two cats, was equipment during floods.

Only a small portion of nowhere to be found. The North Bend is in the FEMAwhite and gray cat was only a mapped floodway, but much of kitten at the time. Three weeks the city is in the floodplain, said later Ekberg was doing repair Gina Estep, the city’s economic work at home. He had several development director. large fans going, trying to dry Since the downtown core is out the house. Over the fans not in the floodway, North whirring, he heard Junior’s Bend doesn’t face significant plaintive cries. restrictions on development.

“He came in looking fraz“It’s more a matter to address zled, dirty and hungry,” he said.

Snoqualmie focuses on eleva- the safety concerns” of residents tions and tries to minimize buy- and business owners, she said.

Nonetheless, “being in the outs, because FEMA requires that the land remain empty for- floodplain does come with some restrictions,” such as ever, Hollenbeck said. building elevated homes.

The city doesn’t want its Like Snoqualmie, North downtown sprinkled with empty lots, so it focuses its buy- Bend’s development code outs along the river’s banks or if allows residents to receive reduced flood insurance rates. a house is extremely damaged, Even with flood insurance, Hollenbeck said. homeowners must be ready to “That land has to remain pay some expenses up front. open in perpetuity. You can’t “Initially, it’s all out of pockbuild a house on it. You can et because you’re waiting for build a pea patch. We have lots the checks to come in,” Ekberg of pea patches in town,” she said. He and his wife waited up said. to two months for their insurTo qualify for a buyout, a ance payments to start coming. house must sustain more than 50 percent damage from one Out of luck flood.

Some residents have had bitter experiences trying to get Future development their houses elevated, though.

Because of FEMA guidelines, Two of them live in Shamrock development is strictly conPark, a neighborhood surroundtrolled in Snoqualmie Valley’s ed by, but not part of North floodplain.

Bend. A continuous levee sysFor a community’s residents to qualify for the national flood tem holds back the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River, which insurance program, it has to runs along the neighborhood’s meet FEMA’s regulatory staneast and north sides. dards for development in a Shamrock Park resident floodplain. By adopting further standards, a community can also help its residents get a See FLOOD, Page 3

DECEMBER 31, 2009

Photo by Dan Catchpole

Don and Nancy Ekberg are breathing easier perched high and dry in their recently raised house in Snoqualmie.

Snoqualmie River

North Fork

Snoqualmie

Middle Fork

3 North Bend 2

1

South Fork

King County project sites: 1. South Fork Levee System Improvements: Rehabilitation of the levee system on the South Fork.

2. North Bend Area Residential Flood Mitigation: Reduce flood risks to homes in the North Bend area.

3. Middle Fork Levee System Capacity Improvements: Reduce flood risks associated with constrictions caused by segments of the incomplete levee system on the Middle Fork.

Source: King County; Graphic by Dan Catchpole

Flood resources: ❑ Sign up for flood alerts Regional Public Information Network, sends e-mail and text message alerts: www.rpin.org King County Flood Warning Information Line: 206-296-8200 or 800-945-9263 Sign up for flood warnings and get information on flood insurance and emergency kits at www.kingcounty.gov/floodplans. ❑ Other resources North Bend flood information: Ronald Garrow, 425-888-0486 or rong@ci.north-bend.wa.us Household hazards line: 206-296-4692 or visit: www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house.

SnoValley Star

DECEMBER 31, 2009

Flood From Page 3 Dwight Bunn and his wife got stuck in bureaucratic morass between FEMA and the county trying to get their house raised.

Rather than wait for another flood, the couple took $67,000 from their retirement savings to raise their house four feet.

The Bunns found plenty of hidden costs, they said. The work was not tax deductible, and they had to pay for permits.

Another Shamrock Park resident, Stephanie Huber, reported similar difficulties in trying to save her two-story home, where she has lived since 1989.

Huber’s already spent almost $250,000 on protecting and repairing her house from flood damage, she said.

Huber grew up in the neighborhood, and has seen the landscape change over the years.

The neighborhood, which is bordered by North Bend on three sides, has sought to join the city, but with no success.

“We’ve asked to be annexed and never got anywhere. And why? Because we’re a liability,” she said.

North Bend won’t annex Shamrock Park because of its flooding risk, according to a city official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the issue.

Managing the river Several Snoqualmie Valley residents said they want the river dredged, but King County is reluctant to dredge unless it considers it absolutely necessary. The county monitors several points along the river to determine if dredging is required, but it hasn’t opted for it since the 1990s. The river hasn’t been regularly dredged since the 1960s.

Streambeds naturally change as a river carries sediment down from the highlands, and just because a gravel bar is created doesn’t mean it will make flooding any worse, Loper said.

During a significant flood event, the Snoqualmie River carries 200 or 300 times its normal capacity.

In most cases, dredging the river beforehand wouldn’t make a noticeable difference in the flood level, he said.

As always, cost is a considera-

Your news comments welcome!

tion.

“For any given problem, there might be multiple solutions to look at,” Loper said.

In lower Snoqualmie Valley, there are also environmental considerations, as the river there is spawning habitat for salmon, which are protected.

King County has also adapted how it manages levees and revetments along rivers. More flexible designs have been adopted when possible to more closely mimic natural settings, which are typically best suited for holding floodwater, Loper said.

The county has begun using setback levees and revetments, when possible. As their name implies, they are setback from the river, rather than hard against it, like the levees protecting Shamrock Park.

That extra room, which oftentimes has vegetation growing in it, allows for a river’s “inevitable desire to move,” Loper said.

“That’s hopefully more long-term sustainable and more cost effective because you’re not fighting the river.”

Even slow-moving rivers like the Snoqualmie have tremendous force. It is expensive and difficult to lock its channel into one path.

But this is what human development often tries to do, noted several experts.

Setback measures allow the river channel room to move around.

But they aren’t a solution for the entire Snoqualmie.

“There are homes and businesses that are getting flooded and I don’t think there’s any structural solution to changing that,” Loper said.

While King County’s Water and Land Resources manages the rivers day to day, the King County Flood Control District has overseen flood protection policies and projects since it was created in 2007.

King County Councilwoman

PAGE 3

Kathy Lambert — who represents Snoqualmie and North Bend — chairs the board with other members of the County Council.

Overall, Lambert said, “residents need to be at higher elevations.”

Community spirit While flooding is destructive and dangerous, it can also bring the community together sometimes. Neighbors help each other secure belongings and move them out of harms way.

Residents fill sandbags for people in harm’s way. After the flooding, people pitch in to clean up.

Flooding brought out the best in the community, said Jane Ellen Seymour, a North Bend parent.

When a North Bend Yahoo group sent a message asking for sandbagging volunteers, her children helped at the city’s Public Works building.

“It was wonderful,” Seymour said. “I’m a North Bend resident, so I was impressed with the quality and the amount of the communication.”

The Seymour family also picked up debris at Mount Si High School.

“Many hands make light work,” Seymour said. “What was nice, it was not just adults. It was whole families helping pitch in and clean up.”

Community members—some not even from the Valley—came to fill sandbags in the cold rain in January in downtown Snoqualmie.

Julie Randazzo, owner of Sahara Pizza and Adventure Lanes, made pizza and coffee for the volunteers. She figures she fed around 20, but not everyone ate, she said.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 221, or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. Comment online at www.snovalleystar.com

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Photo contributed

Construction crews tear into the old St. Clare’s Episcopal Church in 2008. After the November 2006 flood the building started growing toxic mold.

Photo by Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times

Patty Miller sweeps up water in her Snoqualmie home's basement the morning after flooding in November 2008.

Preventing chemical contamination: Many homeowners have hazardous chemicals, which, if spilled, can contaminate floodwater. Hazardous products include cleaners, automotive products, oil-based paints and items like computers, according to King County’s hazardous waste program. To learn more, visit www.govlink.org/hazwaste/index.cfm.