Harger: Washington’s floods don’t care about your politics
Dec 11, 2025, 10:14 AM | Updated: 3:46 pm
The attacks on Washington Governor Bob Ferguson can wait. Right now, people need help.
More than 100,000 people woke up this morning under evacuation orders.
Homes and businesses across Western Washington are about to be destroyed. The Skagit River is surging toward record levels, as much as two feet above the previous record that caused severe damage in 1990. The Snohomish. The Stillaguamish. The Puyallup. Rivers are cresting right now, as I’m writing this.
This is as serious as it gets.
Ferguson declared a statewide emergency yesterday. He’s activated 300 National Guard members for water rescues. His message was direct: “If you receive an evacuation order, please follow that order. It’s critical to your safety.”
And you know what I’m seeing online? People attacking him. Viciously.
Comments about how he should have spent money on levees instead of illegal immigrants. How this is just an excuse to raise taxes. Calling him names. Saying he’s failing when it matters.
I haven’t always agreed with Governor Ferguson. I haven’t always agreed with any politician, for that matter. There will be plenty of time to debate spending priorities, tax policy, immigration, all of it. We can argue about what should have been done differently to prepare for this.
But that time is not today.
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Today is about saving lives
Today, thousands of people are packing what they can carry and leaving their homes. First responders are going door-to-door in flood zones. The National Guard is staging boats for rescues. Emergency managers are trying to coordinate shelters for families and their pets and livestock.
Skagit County has ordered everyone in the 100-year floodplain to evacuate immediately. That’s roughly 75,000 people in one county alone. Between 10-18 inches of rain have fallen over the Cascades in the last 72 hours. The National Weather Service forecasts 18 major floods and 15 moderate floods statewide.
Right now, at this moment, we need to focus on saving lives and minimizing damage. That means listening to evacuation orders. That means checking on your neighbors. That means supporting the people trying to manage this crisis, whether you voted for them or not.
The rivers don’t care who you voted for
I’ve covered floods and natural disasters many times over the years as a field reporter. I’ve seen communities come together when everything around them is falling apart. And I can tell you this: the floodwaters don’t care who’s a Democrat and who’s a Republican. The rivers don’t care which yard sign you had out last November.
When your neighbor’s house is underwater, when someone needs help evacuating, when first responders are pulling people off rooftops, none of that political stuff matters. What matters is whether we help each other or whether we keep bickering while people suffer.
You can agree or disagree with Ferguson on politics, but right now, he’s doing what governors do during disasters. And the people executing this response: the emergency managers, the Guard, the first responders, they’re not thinking about politics. They’re thinking about saving lives.
What I’m asking you to do
If you’re in an evacuation zone, get out. If you know someone who needs help, help them. If you’re safe, check on those who might not be.
Save the anger for another day. Today, we need to come together.
Lives depend on it.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
