PACIFIC, Wash. — People in the city of Pacific have been told to evacuate now due to a levee failure on the White River.
According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, deputies have been working alongside emergency and rescue crews this morning, going door-to-door to evacuate people in the affected area.
Deputies say they’ve had lots of calls for rescues since they were first activated to help at 2:30 a.m., and that currents are moving quickly in the flood waters.
The evacuation zone is from Ellingson Road, down past Third Avenue, and along the White River to County Line Road SW.
According to the Pacific, WA Police Department, around 220 residences have been evacuated so far.
If you are in low-lying areas along the river, you should move to higher ground immediately.
Some neighborhoods are ordered to leave immediately, with evacuations underway this morning.
The leak was first identified at 12:08 a.m. on Tuesday, and emergency crews quickly went ahead and issued the alert.
According to crews on the scene, the break is 40-50 feet.
At around 1:40 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for White River levee failure.
The King County Sheriff’s Guardian One helicopter could be seen flying over neighborhoods Tuesday morning, telling people to “evacuate, get out now.”
KIRO 7’s Brooke Griffin was on the scene this morning, reporting that there are a lot of houses and apartment buildings in this highly residential area.
Rescue teams and community members were also on the scene with large trucks, helping get people out of the affected areas.
California task force rescue teams from Menlow Park, Sacramento, and Oakland were among the emergency crews going door to door to make sure everyone was out and safe.
Officials say repairs, including putting giant sandbags in the break, will take several hours.
Officials say they’ve been monitoring this area and the HESCOS (barriers used for flood control) 24/7 for the past week. Just hours before the break, the City of Pacific says crews were working on reinforcing the HESCOS.
The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is working on stabilizing the water flow, and reported that Seattle District personnel were on the ground working with King County officials to assess the damage and determine next steps. USACE says they will deploy HESCOs, sandbags, and super sacks for direct assistance.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that their swift water rescue teams participated in at least one rescue at Megan’s Court apartments, near Pacific Avenue South and Third Avenue. Nobody was injured in the rescue, deputies confirmed.
At around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, Pacific PD said there was no estimate on when the evacuation order would be downgraded or lifted.
Shelters and Resources
Multiple locations are open as warming and gathering stations for evacuated residents.
- The City has the Senior Center and the gym/Pacific Community Center open, warm, and serving breakfast and coffee
- The Auburn Community and Events Center is open with Red Cross resources available
- The Filipino American Community of Puget Sound in Algona is also offering a warm place to go
- The Alpac Elementary School is open for evacuation, their parking lot is available, and they will have restrooms open
- Sandbags are available at 224 County Line Road
City offices are closed for regular business today.
Check the City of Pacific Facebook page and website for gathering locations and more information.
For additional information, King County’s Emergency Blog is available at kcemergency.com
KIRO 7 is live from that area today. We’ll continue to update this story with any new developments.