Updated at 7:20 p.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The city of Centralia has opened a sandbag station in the expectation that localized flooding will become an issue.
Moderate to heavy rain is expected to continue for the next 12 hours.
Flood warnings are already in place around greater Lewis County, including on the Cowlitz River at Packwood and Randle, the Chehalis River near Doty and Grand Mound and on the Nisqually River near National.
Additionally, record flooding is predicted on the Newaukum River affecting the Chehalis area, according to the National Weather Service.
For Centralia, the forecasts are suggesting rivers will reach flood stage in the early morning hours on Wednesday, according to Centralia Police Chief Carl Nielsen. The city is monitoring the river levels.
Centralia police detective Patty Finch indicates sand, bags and shovels are available for citizens at the parking lot kitty corner from City Hall on North Pearl Street.
A second sand bag station is set to open tomorrow around 3 p.m. at the city maintenance shop, 2600 Reynolds Road in Centralia, near the Fords Prairie Grange. More may be established if the need arises.
Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza this morning said they will have rescue operations available on both the east end and the west side of the county.
“The creeks are already full, the ground is already saturated,” Snaza said.
The weather service says the rainfall could lead to flooding on small streams or creeks, as well as the threat of more landslides.
The county has also set up sand bag stations for the public at some of the public works shops as well as next to the post office in Galvin.
The public is advised to be alert for rapid changes and monitor developments by listening to NOAA Weather radio or other local media.
Individuals can follow the National Weather Service reports directly, online as well.
The Lewis County Board of Commissioner signed a declaration of emergency at 1 p.m. today because of the the potential effects to life and property, and the move allows them to distribute sand bags to private citizens.
Steve Mansfield of Lewis County Emergency Management is advising all citizens to check their supplies and preparations to be ready to respond quickly as this current weather front unfolds.
“Every flooding event is different and people, especially those in flood-prone areas, need be ready to move quickly as the water rises,” Mansfield stated.
Just after 5 p.m. today, the city of Centralia declared a local emergency. They plan to open their emergency operations center on a limited basis at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
“A special advisory is being issued for the area south of Summa Street / Salzer Valley Road and east of Kresky Avenue / National Avenue which may experience overnight flooding, detective Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald stated in a news release.
For weather alerts and forecasts, the National Weather Service’s Forecast Office in Seattle page can be found here.
For river levels, the National Weather Service’s Advanced Hydrological Prediction Services page can be found here
Both links are always available on the right hand side bar of this news site.
Also, Lewis County provides a web page showing the status of county roads. It can be found here.
The sand bags stations provided by Lewis County offer sand and bags at no charge to the public, but individuals will need to fill the bags themselves.
They are located at:
• Public Works Area Seven Shop at 8911 U.S. Highway 12 near Randle and Glenoma. Hours: 6:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
• Public Works Central Shop at 111 Forest-Napavine Road East. Hours: Until 6 p.m. tonight
• Public Works Area One Shop at 148 Big Hanaford Road in the Centralia area. Hours: Accessible 24 hours each day, at the driveway approach just before the main entrance to the facility
• Next to the Galvin Post Office on Galvin Road and Cleveland Street. Hours: Accessible 24 hours each day.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter