Bold headline: Skagit County faces severe flooding that pours into homes and triggers rescues, leaving residents scrambling to understand what happened and what comes next.
Monica Mendez stands on her back deck, staring at water that rose so quickly in her yard that everything around her seemed to float. She recalls an abrupt wake-up call in the early morning: her son, who was asleep downstairs, alerted her that water was rushing inside the home.
Mendez has lived beside Gages Slough for 15 years and has never encountered this level of flooding before. “There were no puddles or even a trickle of water anywhere,” she said, underscoring how sudden and surprising the event was.
In response to the rising water from the Slough, which drains into the Skagit River watershed, Burlington Police and Skagit County Emergency Management issued a city-wide evacuation order for the morning. The city of roughly 10,000 residents temporarily shifted the focus to a more confined, densely populated area as conditions evolved.
Officials did not publicly detail the precise causes of the flood. During the afternoon, Senator Maria Cantwell stated at a press briefing that water had overtopped levees. The county’s Emergency Management office did not return requests for comment.
First responders faced additional challenges, including vehicles stranded on roadways and on Highway 20 between Sedro-Woolley and Burlington. Later on Friday, rescuers were dispatched to assist a young woman who reported being trapped by water spilling over from the Skagit River.
As for cleanup and recovery, Mendez isn’t sure when the water will recede or when streets and homes will be cleared of debris and mud. “I think it’s going to take days or maybe weeks,” she said, capturing the tough road ahead for many residents affected by the flooding.
This event underscores that even familiar waterways can change quickly, turning a calm neighborhood into a scene of urgent rescues and uncertain timelines for restoration.
