Campers Rousted By Rising Columbia Sleeping Bags Rolled Up After Quick 2-Foot Rise; Pend Oreille County Assessing Uninsured Losses

Rising waters forced the evacuation of some campers near Wenatchee as the Columbia River rose to its highest levels since 1972.

Meanwhile, Pend Oreille County officials on Wednesday began to tally the uninsured financial losses from flooding in that northeastern Washington county.

Campers from 41 campsites at Confluence State Park near Wenatchee were told to leave Tuesday evening, after the Columbia River rose an estimated 2 feet in about 45 minutes.

It was the first time the park has been evacuated in the seven years since it opened.

Much of the park near the boat launch and swimming area was under water by 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, and waters had reached all the way to the check-in booth by Wednesday morning.

“I hate to do this to you, but we’re going to have to ask you to leave,” acting park manager John Ashley told two families from Seattle Tuesday night.

The four adults and three young children in pajamas began rolling up sleeping bags and stuffing things into their vehicles.

“We’re looking at it as an adventure,” said Lynda Stow, who was just putting the kids to bed when they were notified of the evacuation. “This is definitely not what we expected tonight.”

Chelan County Public Utility District spokesman Jeff Smith said the river peaked at 401,000 cubic feet of water per second at 10 p.m. Tuesday, more than double its normal flow for this time of year.

That is the highest the river has run since 1972, when it reached 423,000 cfs. The record was set in the 1948 flood at 689,000 cfs.

The river is supposed to get higher, then drop back sometime next week, Smith said.

“The spring runoff has really begun in earnest,” he said. “Grand Coulee Dam is releasing a lot of water, and we are seeing a lot of water coming out of the Okanogan, Methow, Entiat and Wenatchee rivers.

“Altogether, they combine to make a tremendous amount of water in the entire river system, and we only have so much storage behind the dams,” Smith said.

Meanwhile, officials in Pend Oreille County began assessing flood damage to more than 100 homes. Residents were asked to call the county before June 19 to report estimated uninsured flood losses.

“The survey can help state officials determine if the damages are sufficient to qualify the county for any additional state and federal aid,” said JoAnn Boggs, emergency management director for the county.

More than 100 homes along the Pend Oreille River may have suffered some flood damage so far this year, Boggs said. Several roads have also been damaged.

River levels are expected to remain near or above flood stage for the next few days as mountain snowpacks continue to melt.

Gov. Gary Locke declared a state of emergency in the county on May 22.