State Of Emergency In Pend Oreille

Gov. Gary Locke declared a state of emergency late Thursday in Pend Oreille County, where scores of houses have been flooded.

Locke directed state agencies to help and specifically ordered the state Military Department to put National Guard units at the county’s service. County officials say their most pressing need is for manpower to guard evacuated homes.

County Commissioner Joel Jacobsen said Thursday evening he didn’t know how soon help might arrive, but it can’t come too soon.

“Our volunteers have been doing a great job, but I think they’re wearing out,” Jacobsen said. He said commissioners also will ask state agencies to respond to a call for help that they received Thursday from the city of Cusick. Mayor Paul Haas told commissioners the city has exhausted all its available resources. Cusick city officials and volunteers have worked for days to shore up the dike that protects the town.

In other developments Thursday, Sheriff Doug Malby banned watercraft from the river south of Box Canyon Dam. The order excludes emergency workers and residents who need boats to reach their homes.

The river flow increased Thursday from 131,800 to 135,000 cubic feet per second at Albeni Falls Dam near Newport. The level rose about 6 inches at Cusick, to an elevation of 2,048.7 feet.

That’s higher than some streets in Cusick, but still about 3 feet below the top of the dike. The flow is expected to drop today to 132,700 cfs, but the level isn’t expected to crest until Saturday.

, DataTimes