Expect more flooding
Weatherman: Expect more flooding - December 2, 1998
By Ryan Teague Beckwith - Daily World Writer, The Aberdeen Daily World
As the water receded from a soggy Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service had some bad news: More flooding is expected along the Chehalis River in Grays Harbor tonight.
In Porter, the river will likely reach the 21-foot flood stage by 10 p.m., cresting at 22 feet Thursday night. Meanwhile, with weather conditions like they are, predicted tides of around 10 feet could reach 13.5 to 14.5 feet in Aberdeen, leading to minor flooding again in the downtown area, Aberdeen officials said.
The city of Aberdeen, trying to head off issuing a "boil-water advisory," is asking customers to avoid wasting water, but stringent conservation is not necessary, said community development specialist Rich Brinkman.
A high wind warning for the Washington coast has been called off. The rain caused more problems this time around because the area hasn't had a chance to dry out from last week's storms.
"We're having flooding because of the increased volume of water and rain and ground saturation," said Karin Frinell-Hanrahan, deputy director of the Grays Harbor Department of Emergency Management.
In Aberdeen, 3.09 inches of rain fell in the 24- hour period ending at 8 this morning. Raymond reported 3.34 inches for yesterday, Quinault 3.04, Montesano 2.8 and Elma 2.6.
The National Weather Service issued a warning for minor tidal overflow flooding for all of Grays Harbor today, and high tides through the weekend could cause further problems. This means people who live along the river or in low-lying areas should prepare for minor flooding over the next few days.
Saturated ground caused problems for electrical customers as well.
Some 6,150 homes around Grays Harbor were without power for part of the day Tuesday because of power lines that were hit by falling trees. "Once the ground gets saturated and soft from the rain, it doesn't take much wind to push the trees over," said Dave Ireland, operations manager for the Grays Harbor PUD.
In the South Beach area, a falling hemlock knocked out power to 5,100 customers from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday. And in Quinault, a large tree went through a power line and cut electricity to 1,000 customers from 1 to 6 p.m.
There were also scattered outages at Grass Creek and throughout the county, but all of the problems were resolved by 9 p.m., Ireland said.
Meanwhile, city crews in Aberdeen were hard at work making sure storm drains were unclogged and flooded streets were blocked off. The city recommended a few things people at home can do to help:
Drive carefully. Many side streets are blocked off, but even those still open to traffic should be treated cautiously. For the sake of homes and businesses nearby, drive slowly and try to avoid leaving a large wake.
Pick up sandbags. The Public Works Department has sandbags at 1101 West Heron Street. In Brady, the Army Corps of Engineers will be holding a free workshop on sandbagging from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Brady Fire Station. For more information, contact Fire District Chief Bob Bauman at 532-6050.
Call with problems. If you live on an out-of-the-way street that is flooded and you believe the city may not know about it, call the Sewer Department at 533-4100 extension 284, or the Streets Department at extension 268.
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