Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sheriff issues emergency closure as Okanogan River nears record high water

“How high’s the water, Papa?”

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“How’ high’s the water, Papa?
He said its three feet high and risin’
“Well, the hives are gone, I’ve lost the bees,
The chickens are sleepin’ in the willow trees, cows in water up past her knees; three feet high and risin’.”
- Five Feet High and Rising-
  Johnny Cash

OKANOGAN COUNTY – An unwelcome ambassador from out Neighbor to the North is making its presence felt in the county’s river system in the form of high snow melt and flood stage water levels. The situation is sufficiently extreme that Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers issued a safety alert at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 15, announcing that the Okanogan River is closed throughout the county until further notice.
“The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office warms citizens of the extreme danger the Okanogan River poses due to the extremely high flow and ongoing flooding issues,” the alert said.
The Okanogan River is closed to boating, swimming or other recreational activities. The alert cited “high flows, cold temperatures, and debris” as dangers to the public. It also cautioned those placing sandbags or taking other flood control measures to wear personal flotation devices (PFD) as “being behind a levee or dike can be dangerous should they fail, and water threatens your safety…”
“Right now, the river is predicted to rise with these warm temperatures,” the alert said. “By this closure the Sheriff’s Office wants to keep our citizens safe and minimize hazards to First Responders who will not be put at risk unnecessarily with this closure.”
Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and National Weather Service (NWS) saw the flood danger coming and called an Okanogan County Flood Meeting last Thursday, May 10 in the Okanogan County Commissioners Room. More than 70 people attended the standing-room-only discussion as OCEM  Emergency Manager Maurice Goodall and USACE and NWS officials reviewed potential flood conditions in a briefing that included aerial drone photos of problem areas.
Katherine Rowden, a service hydrologist with the NWS in Spokane discussed water levels in the principal Okanogan County rivers, snowpack levels and weather outlook.
“Sunday into the middle of next week we’re getting another big heat push which is what’s driving this next influx of water,” said Rowden of this week’s weather.
Col. Mark Garaldi, commander of the Seattle District of the USACE, responsible for military construction in the four-state Northwest region, discussed the Corps’ role in the emergency.
“Two things,” said Garaldi, “we’re leveraging all our authorities to the maximum extend we can to support the county. Second thing be aware of your surroundings; even if you’re behind a levee there’s still risk.”
Garaldi added that roughly 50,000 sandbags have been delivered to the area and that his agency would be helping stabilize three area levees.
On Saturday, May 12, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in Okanogan County and others in eastern Washington affected by flood waters.
On Sunday morning, May 13, the Department of Natural Resources assumed command of flood response in the county and announced in a media release that 100 DNR firefighters were dispatched to assist flood control efforts.
As conditions can change rapidly, citizens are advised to check for updates online at the Okanogan County Emergency Management Facebook page or call the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 509-422-7348.
 

Okanogan River, high water, flooding, closure

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