While the bomb cyclone that struck Western Washington last week largely left Lewis County unscathed, the county’s emergency management wants residents to prepare for the upcoming flood season.
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While the bomb cyclone that struck Western Washington last week largely left Lewis County unscathed, the county’s emergency management wants residents to prepare for the upcoming flood season.
The storm, which damaged much of the Puget Sound region, left at least two people dead, knocked out power to half a million homes and downed trees and power lines throughout the region.
Another storm hit Western Washington Friday evening, though it caused far less damage.
As winter approaches, the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted a La Niña to form, which typically brings cooler and wetter conditions to the West Coast. In a Nov. 14 update, the NWS wrote that there is a 57% chance the weather pattern could form and persist through March 2025.
According to the NWS, the La Niña is expected to be “weak” and “short duration.”
“A weak La Niña would be less likely to result in conventional winter impacts, though predictable signals could still influence the forecast guidance,” the NWS stated.
Before the winter season, residents must consider flood insurance and other precautions as potential protections. As he enters his final flood season, Lewis County Emergency Management Deputy Director Ross McDowell said Wednesday that the clock is ticking for homeowners to purchase flood insurance.
“Certain people in certain areas have to have this, it’s part of their loan that they have on their house,” said McDowell, who is set to retire next year. “But I would suggest that people look into getting flood insurance.”
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, most National Flood Insurance Program policies are valid for one year and come with a 30-day grace period.
“People need to look at their insurance policies and what they’ve got, and make sure that if they think they have a chance of becoming flooded, they need to jump on that now,” McDowell said.
The delay means that when a storm is approaching, it’s often too late to obtain the protection.
“That is one thing that has saved people’s bacon left and right, is having flood insurance when a flood comes through,” McDowell said.
FEMA flood insurance typically covers a maximum of $250,000 of building coverage and $100,000 content coverage in the event of a flood.
Renters, meanwhile, aren’t out of the woods when it comes to protection, either. Emergency Management Planner Erika Katt said Lewis County rental properties are often in places prone to potential flooding.
“When your stuff gets flooded, FEMA doesn’t come in and replace your things, and so a lot of times their things are just gone,” Katt said. “So they need to have that, if they can afford it.”
McDowell also encourages residents to prepare for potential flooding by gathering enough supplies to last for a month, if needed. McDowell recommends ensuring that residents have enough gasoline to power their generators.
“If you have a generator going, the last thing you need is having the generator running out of fuel,” McDowell said.
During major events, McDowell said some residents lack necessary supplies of needed medicines, and encouraged people to talk to their pharmacist about obtaining a five-day emergency supply to keep on hand.
Water, McDowell said, can also be hard to come by during an emergency. In online guidance, the Centers for Disease Control recommends storing at least one gallon of water per person, per day for three days. More water may be needed for pregnant people, sick residents, children and pets.
“Wells get contaminated, septics can get contaminated with flood water,” McDowell said. “And you’re going to be wanting to drink out of a bottle instead.”
Katt recommends that residents should know alternate routes around the county, in case their typical route is damaged or destroyed.
In a storm, McDowell said texting requires less bandwidth than calling, which makes it a more reliable source of communication in an emergency.
Learn more at https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/emergency-management.