nw flooding update
Living here in the Pacific Northwest I’ve received a number of communications from friends and family, inquiring if everything is OK with the Holdeman’s. Yes, we are all fine is the answer.
A few thoughts on the subject of national incidents and how they portray a disaster. When the World Trade Organization (WTO) Riots happened in downtown Seattle, the impression was that the entire city was in chaos—to those not present. It is true, there wasn’t much of a commute or downtown business activity, but the rest of the city and the northwest was calm.
The flooding that has happened recently has been significant. However, “most” flooding here in Washington is based on rivers that flow out of the Cascade Mountains. What brings on worse than normal “typical flooding” is what is called an atmospheric river. Oodles of moisture coming in off the Pacific Ocean (also called a Pineapple Express) and being dumped everywhere and most importantly, in the mountains and on top of snow with warm temperatures dominating the region. The snowpack melts and that adds even more water to the already full river basins.
As for our current status, another “atmospheric river” is predicted to arrive in the area tomorrow, December 15th. While not expected to be as significant as the first one, it comes on top of already saturated ground. Levee’s that have been eroded already by flood waters are weakened and more at risk of failing from prolonged flood events. One of three major North-South routes through the urban area of Western Washington and the greater Seattle area is Highway 167. It is now closed both north and south due to flood waters over the roadway from the Green River. Highway 167 carries well over 100,000 cars each day. Putting that pressure over on I-5 and Hwy 99 will make the next few days of commuting very difficult.
Besides flooding, there is great risk of landslides in the coming days as the water works it way through the soil and then finds a layer of clay. We’ve had some pretty catastrophic slides in the urban area with homes being impacted and entire neighborhoods being threatened. You may love the view of Puget Sound, but those with it comes the risks of living on a bluff overlooking the water. If you home slides, your home insurance will not cover the loss. Back in the day, I saw people walk away from million-dollar homes because the soils could not be stabilized or the cost was prohibitive.
The other thing I always point out is that if there would be an earthquake, even a relatively minor one, the number of slides would be in the thousands and the damages magnified by the wet soils and extreme shaking.
