Seattle Finally Gets A Spring Break

Storm-ravaged Seattle finally saw some springlike weather Sunday following a series of storms which have left parts of the hilly city oozing in mud.

“As far as we can see, the house hasn’t had any structural damage,” said George Soltman, a resident of hard-hit Perkins Lane West, where parts of several homes slid away. “It would help if it didn’t rain.”

While 30 of the state’s 39 counties have been declared emergency cases by Gov. Mike Lowry, some of the hardest-hit areas have been in the populous Puget Sound region.

Insured losses alone have been estimated at more than $125 million, and the Emergency Operations Center in King County said private sector damage reported so far in the county totals $75 million.

But “this still is considered a fraction of the actual damages caused by this disaster,” center officials said.

The Red Cross has said preliminary tallies show 27 homes or apartments have been destroyed, 55 suffered major damage and 142 sustained minor damage. Those figures are expected to rise dramatically once disaster-assessment teams complete their work.

In Olympia, Washington state Emergency Management officials said they do not expect to have any official damage estimates until Friday.

Spokeswoman Penelope Christopherson said Sunday that once county estimates are received, the state agency will send out teams to make damage assessments. Then the governor will use those assessments to determine whether to request federal help.

In the state, flood warnings remain in effect for the Chehalis, Cedar and Columbia rivers in Western Washington.

The Port of Edmonds said the storm had caused $20 million in damage to the Edmonds Marina, where 100 boats went down. Salvage operations are under way and 10 boats have been recovered.

The Pierce County Department of Emergency Management said a vacant house is starting to slide, threatening a road. Building inspectors are attempting to contact the owner to have the house dismantled.

In West Seattle, a mudslide Saturday afternoon blocked a roadway, but no other significant new slides have been reported. More than 90 mudslides have been reported in Seattle.