Eastern WA first responders step in to assist the West Side during floods

Members of the Spokane Fire Department and Spokane Valley Fire Department’s Swiftwater Rescue Strike Team rescued two groups of people stranded in their homes after being deployed Wednesday to flood-stricken Skagit and Snohomish counties, as more crews searched the neighborhood for others, according to a post on social media from the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

They were among Eastern Washington first responders who rushed to the Puget Sound area as historic floods followed days of heavy rain and warm temperatures.

The “catastrophic” flooding, as described by the National Weather Service, has put nearly 100,000 people on the West Side under evacuation orders, many residing in Skagit and Snohomish counties.

One fire chief told the Seattle Times in an email that the situation is “dynamic and dangerous.”

Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency over the flooding, and President Donald Trump on Friday signed an emergency declaration that allows the state to seek federal funds in assistance.

The Spokane County team was also able to assist a National Guard helicopter in rescuing a person whose car was swept off the road.

“The regional team will … remain committed to the mission as long as their expertise is needed,” the Spokane Fire Department posted on Facebook.

The six Spokane Valley firefighters deployed to the West Side are captains Ben Riddle, Casey Brischle and Scott Niebuhr, along with firefighters Montana Sturges, Sam Gauksheim and Miles Rinne.

Stevens County Fire District 1 has also deployed an incident management team to Whatcom County, the district posted on Facebook on Friday.

“Fire District 1 has very close friends that are working tirelessly for their fire districts in that region, and we will support those efforts in any way we can,” the post said.

According to Stevens County, calls that typically take 30 minutes are reaching more than an hour and a half.