OKANOGAN FLOODING 2018

Incident Update - May 14, 2018 12:00 PM

Okanogan County – Okanogan County Department of Emergency Management (OCDEM) continues to assist local juristictions throughout Okanogan County in response to flooding that started last week. The Northeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (NEWIMT) has arrived and is providing additional resources through OCDEM. Personel from around the state are working to continue to build on the excellent work done by the local juristictions and all the voluteers. A special thanks to the local fire districts and the countless volunteers that worked tirelessly throughout the last week.

Residents that are in immediate proximity to the Okanogan, Similkameen and Methow rivers and adjacent smaller rivers and creeks should continue to remain vigiliant over the next several days. Incident Commanders are closely monitoring water levels and expect levels to rise to near record levels by the end of the week. Citizens should pay close attention and be prepared for changing conditions.

Washington State Department of Natural Resourses (DNR) and Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) personel are now deployed in areas that have been identified as needing immediate assistance to provide for protection of critical infrastructure. Crews are working closely with the US Army Corps of Engineers and local officals to identify areas that need additional assistance.  

There are no current evacuation orders in place at this time. Red Cross is available to assist affected residents as the need arises. Current road closure information can be found at  http://okanogandem.org/map.htm.  Citizens are asked to stay off the Okanogan River in Okanogan County. The river is extremely dangerous at this time due to the speed of the water, debris that is floating and the cold water temperature. 

Citizens with questions can call the OCDEM at 509 422-7348. Additional information and updates can be found on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/Okanogan.County.Emergency.Management.  There are no official requests for donations at this time.

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Trooper Jeff Sevigney

Public Information

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