TUKWILA, Wash. — Earlier today, a levee failed on the Green River, prompting a “Go Now” evacuation order for those in the low-lying areas of Tukwila.
As of 7:30 p.m., the evacuation orders have been lifted for residents and businesses east of the Green River, in Tukwila, Renton and Kent.
If it feels safe to do so, you can return home.
King County Emergency Management reminds folks to keep an eye out and “Be Ready” to evacuate again, if needed.
As of 2:30 p.m., KIRO 7 has confirmed that a temporary repair has been completed on the breach, and it is holding.
“Conditions can change suddenly with very little warning. The City is encouraging people to “GET SET” to leave on very short notice in the Southcenter District, West Valley Hwy area, and the eastside of Interurban Ave South (north of I-405 and the north end of Foster Golf Course) that are prone to flooding. Conditions may worsen and access routes could become limited," the city said.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle issued a Flash Flood Warning early in the afternoon because of the failure at the Desimone Levee along Todd Boulevard.
It initially covered nearly 47,000 people, but was reduced within a few hours to an area covering 7,000 people.
King County Sheriff’s Office shared video from their Guardian One helicopter of the break:
Emergency shelters
There are three shelters set up for those who need to evacuate:
Auburn Community and Event Center, 910 9th St. SE, Auburn, WA, 98002
Ray of Hope Shelter, 2806 Auburn Way N. Auburn, WA, 98002
Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE., Monroe, WA 98272 (Open 24 hours) – Pets welcomed
Boeing has issued an alert for employees in the area. If severe weather affects any Boeing operations, employees can get the status on their site by calling the Boeing Employee Emergency Hotline (1-800-899-6431) and going to http://boeing.com/emergency. If a site is not mentioned, operations are normal.
Renton city limits not being evacuated
At 3:30 p.m. Renton announced that areas within the city limits are not being asked to evacuate at this time.
Witnessing the levee break
A tree care company says crews were working near the levee when it failed. Sound Tree Care LLC posted on Facebook, saying that their crew was performing authorized emergency tree work to remove a maple tree that was threatening the levee. It failed upriver from their position. No one was hurt.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.
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