Western Washington is facing a “historic” flooding crisis that has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes and could displace thousands more Friday as rivers reach record levels.
There have been no reports of fatalities, but local authorities and first responders stressed the potentially lethal nature of the record-breaking flooding. Warnings remain in place for some parts of the state until Saturday morning.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said the Skagit River was expected to crest Friday morning, making the period through Friday night critical for residents and first responders.
On Friday afternoon, Ferguson said in a statement that he issued an emergency declaration with the approval of President Donald Trump.
"I just received a phone call from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Secretary Noem informed me that the president signed our request for an emergency declaration. We have also received written confirmation of that emergency declaration," he said. "I expressed my thanks to Secretary Noem on behalf of the people of the State of Washington during this extremely challenging time."
More details at our 2 p.m. media availability.”
He added that tens of thousands of Washingtonians could face orders or warnings on Friday as the flooding moves into more densely populated areas. As of Friday morning, 5 million people remain under flood watches across western Washington, according to an NBC News analysis.
The National Weather Service said the Skagit reached 37.7 feet overnight and will cause severe or record flooding in the critical agricultural region from Sedro-Woolley to Mount Vernon. The threshold for a flood event is 28 feet.
As of Friday morning, the Skagit’s water level started to slowly drop, according to an analysis by NBC News.
In addition to the Skagit River at Mount Vernon, several other rivers saw record crests, according to an NBC News analysis, including at the Snohomish River in Snohomish, the Cedar River in Renton, the Nooksack River in North Cedarville and the Grays River in Rosburg.
While drier weather is on the way, “the major to catastrophic flooding effects are likely to continue for several days across portions of western Washington State and northwestern Oregon,” the weather service said.
About 100,000 people living in the 100-year Skagit River flood plain were told to “leave now” in a county order Thursday. Ferguson said people have largely complied with the orders, but stressed that the danger remains and that more areas face flooding on Friday.
Near the Canadian border, the cities of Sumas, Nooksack and Everson were also evacuated. Sumas Mayor Bruce Bosch said much of the area had been “devastated,” with damage similar to that suffered in flooding four years ago. The full extent of the damage will only become clear when the water recedes, he said.
On Friday afternoon, local authorities issued evacuation orders for Burlington, Washington, a city roughly 50 miles south of the U.S.-Canadian border.
“ALL RESIDENTS IN THE CITY OF BURLINGTON SHOULD EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY,” Skagit County wrote in a post on Facebook.
Officials added that the “National Guard is going door to door to notify residents and help evacuate.”
Helicopters rescued two families Thursday from the roofs of properties in Sumas that had been flooded by about 15 feet of water, Frank Cain Jr., battalion chief for Whatcom County Fire District 14, told The Associated Press. Two houses in nearby Welcome collapsed and were washed into the Nooksack River, he said.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, which covers Sumas, said it would patrol to prevent lawlessness and warned would-be looters that they would be booked into the county jail.
The National Guard released an image of troops rescuing a person from the roof of a vehicle in Skagit County on Thursday, one of several water rescues across the region.
Ferguson told CNN on Thursday that he was concerned about reports that people were returning to their homes along the Skagit, perhaps emboldened by the rainfall stopping on Thursday.
“Our message is the river is literally going to reach historic levels on the Skagit River near towns like Burlington and Sedro-Woolley. As long as we’ve been recording the river, it’s never gone this high in those areas,” he said.
More than a foot of rain fell across parts of Washington state in the last 72 hours, the weather service said.
Central Pierce Fire & Rescue shared a video showing first responders in inflatable boats in Puyallup, along with a plea for motorists to avoid flooded areas: “Turn around, don’t drown.”
"Even 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock you off your feet and a depth of 2 feet will float your car. Never try to walk, swim, or drive through such swift water. If you come upon flood waters, stop, turn around and go another way," the weather service said in a string of flood warnings.
Many arterial roads were blocked in the region, including large parts of State Route 40. A landslide blocked Interstate 90 east of Seattle.
The floods are a brutal blow to the region, which is still recovering from the heavy floods of 2021.
