6 people, 5 dogs rescued from Christmas Day flooding in Whatcom County

WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Six people and five dogs were rescued during flooding in Whatcom County on Christmas Day.

Early Christmas morning, patrol deputies and members of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management notified people in the Marietta area that they would likely need to evacuate due to the threat of flooding, according to the sheriff’s office.

Shortly after, the combination of ice building up at the mouth of the Nooksack River and King tides caused water to start to enter homes and cover Marine Drive.

Members of Whatcom County Public Works, deputies, search and rescue volunteers and members of Whatcom County 911 worked together to evacuate and rescue six people and five dogs by boat.

Four of the rescued people are staying with family or friends and two others have temporary shelter provided by the Red Cross. The dogs are at the Whatcom Humane Society.

As additional storm systems are forecast over the next several days, Whatcom County authorities are meeting daily to monitor conditions and prepare.

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