‘I’ve never seen it like this’: Snohomish River reaches record levels, Department of Public Works inundated

The Snohomish River reached record levels Thursday in Snohomish, hitting 34.1 feet just before noon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Several roads are flooded. The Avenue D Bridge, the main thoroughfare between the airport and downtown Snohomish, was shut down due to high water on the airport side as of Thursday. Some drivers ignored the road closed signs and took a risk.

“I came from the airport to the bridge, and there was three feet of water. They were turning people around, and I drove through it,” Charles Brasier said.

Snohomish Department of Public Works completely flooded

Perhaps the biggest problem for Snohomish is the city’s Department of Public Works is underwater. Some critical equipment was moved to higher ground, but the entire complex, as of Thursday, is unusable.

“I’ve worked here just shy of 14 years, and I’ve never seen it like this. This is a disaster for us,” Public Works mechanic Rich Karschney said.

What looks like a flooded field on the other side of town is actually the Snohomish United Soccer Club complex. It’s under at least 10 feet of water. Equipment was moved out, but the eventual cleanup will be difficult.

“I mean, there’s nothing really you can do about it. For the most part, everything out there is grass, so it will be some serious work getting everything ready for our tournaments this summer,” Soccer coach Scott Uderitz said.

Snohomish family rescued by boat

Overnight, flood waters swallowed five homes and several cars in a neighborhood along Lincoln Avenue. One family failed to get out on time and had to call 911 and be rescued by boat.

“Water was starting to get into their house. We had fire and rescue come and got them out of the house. It was a family of three and two dogs,” Snohomish Police Sergeant William Verteen said.

Sen. John Lovick: ‘You have to see it to believe it’

State Senator John Lovick visited the dam in Snohomish. He was once the sheriff of Snohomish County and has never seen anything like this.

“You have to see it to believe it, and when you see it, you can’t believe it. I’ve been in this county for many, many years, spent many hours in the City of Snohomish, and I’ve not seen anything like this in my life,” Lovick said.

As bad as it is, Lovick said he’s confident the cleanup will go well.

“It’s going to take teamwork, but they have a great team here, and they are working well together, and to just see the coordination between the mayor and her staff, they’re going to get this done,” he said.

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