After a week of destructive floods that battered Washington state, rising rivers, closed roads, and widespread damage, the recovery effort is now in full swing.
KIRO 7’s community partners are stepping up in a big way to help those who need it most.
Amazon Delivers $100K for Day of Giving
Amazon announced a massive $100,000 donation to KIRO 7’s Day of Giving on Wednesday, with funds split between the Salvation Army and Red Cross.
“We announced today that we’re going to add $100,000 to the KIRO effort to give back to the community,” said David Zapolsky, Amazon’s Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer.
The donation comes on top of $3 million Amazon has already committed to state recovery efforts, along with more than 50,000 essential items for first responders and displaced families.
“Brought in over 50,000 items to drop off and to get to the places where it’s needed most. We’re also creating volunteer opportunities,” Zapolsky added.
Red Cross and Salvation Army on the Front Lines
The American Red Cross has already provided more than 1,100 shelter stays and 13,000 meals to flood victims across the state.
The Salvation Army has deployed crews across Washington’s flood zones, serving more than 400 people in Lewis and Skagit counties.
“In Lewis County, providing food, emergency vouchers and emotional care. And just today we’ve expanded that to Skagit County—we have crews on the ground,” said Lt. Colonel Cindy Foley of the Salvation Army.
Fall City Little League: A Community Rallies
In Fall City, Aldarra Field, home of Falls Little League, was completely submerged under several feet of water. Equipment floated away, dugouts were swamped, and the entire diamond became unrecognizable.
But about 30 volunteers showed up to help reclaim the field.
They cleaned up buildings, power-washed mud from dugouts and fences, and hauled out more than 1,500 pounds of debris and trash.
The kids tackled what they’re calling the “baseball graveyard,” picking up hundreds of baseballs washed up by the flood and scattered across the outfield and into the woods. Bats, helmets, and bases were all recovered.
The goal now: get the field ready for the spring season.
Emergency Stabling Saves Hundreds of Animals
The floods didn’t just threaten people. Livestock across the region faced life-threatening danger as waters rose rapidly.
Emergency stabling efforts became critical as farmers scrambled to evacuate their animals.
“This is probably the largest stabling, emergency stabling we’ve had,” said Amy Craven, marketing specialist with Evergreen State Fair Park. “We got as high as about 171 horses, over 100 cattle, pigs, goats, sheep and chickens.”
For many farmers, it meant making multiple trips back and forth, racing against rising water.
One farmer described the chaos: “We have horses and cows. With this so fast, we don’t even know what’s going on. We got them out and we took them to the Monroe fairgrounds—they let us stay there,” said Andres Gomez.
“My heart goes out to the people that lost their property or had to clean up the property. We’re just really happy that we can offer the support and going forward whatever we can offer. The community is such an asset to us, and we hope that we’re an asset to them,” said Craven.
How One Operator Kept Carnation’s Treatment Plant Running
Tyler Stiltner, a wastewater operator with King County, found himself in an extraordinary situation as floodwaters surrounded the Carnation treatment plant.
Unable to leave and cut off from help, Stiltner became the only person able to keep the facility running as the storm intensified and rivers continued to rise.
The waters completely covered roads to Carnation, cutting off all access to the facility. But Stiltner stayed at his post.
Thanks to his quick thinking and dedication, the plant stayed up and running—preventing what could have been a catastrophic overflow and environmental disaster.
“Probably would have resulted in a complete treatment process shut down and so I think we kind of dodged the bullet there and prevented an overflow or any kind of illicit discharge,” Stiltner said.
Despite the attention his actions have drawn, Stiltner remains humble.
“I just want to give a shoutout to everybody that’s out there fighting a good fight right now. This was a very flattering experience for me with all the outreach from the public, but I’m a pretty modest person. I’m definitely a smaller portion of the bigger picture here. There’s a lot of people out there doing a lot of good work.”
How to Help — Every Dollar Counts
KIRO 7’s Day of Giving has raised significant funds so far, with donations still being accepted for relief organizations working on the ground.
Your contribution makes a real impact:
- $500 provides more than three months of meals for a family of four
- $250 can put a roof over someone’s head for more than a week
- $100 provides healthy meals for kids for two months