South Park residents relieved after latest King Tide

SEATTLE — Monday’s King Tide event had people in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood worried.

“I’m just happy that the tide didn’t come up,” said Chris Stapleton, who has a business in South Park.

The community was prepared for the worst but thankfully, saw no damage.

“The weather has really been cooperating with us this time. There’s not a low-pressure system, rain is not falling,” said Keri Burchard-Juarez, Deputy Director for Seattle Public Utilities.

The city of Seattle was tracking every minute of the system and was heavily prepared.

“We have a barrier along the Duwamish here about 1.4 miles. It’s a temporary barrier,” said Juarez.

About 90,000 sandbags were placed around homes, businesses, and along the river bank.

Paulina Lopez, has lived in South Park for more than 17 years. She’s also the Executive Director for the Duwamish River Community Coalition.

“We’re grateful for these preparations but we really need a long-term solution,” said Lopez.

City officials say they’ve studied the Dec. 27 flood and will use that to create a solution moving forward.

“We’re looking at what we need to do out here in terms of erecting some sort of permanent barrier potentially along the river, maybe making some additional open space here to allow the river to overtop in certain areas,” said Juarez.

The city says several city departments and the Army Corps of Engineers are also getting involved.

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