Tukwila, WA – After a week of heavy rainfall, a portion of an earthen levee south of Seattle gave way, prompting local authorities to take swift action.
King County officials issued an evacuation order affecting around 1,100 homes and businesses near the Green River, impacting parts of Kent, Renton, and Tukwila. While the National Weather Service initially issued a flash flood warning for a larger area, it was quickly reduced to cover approximately 7,000 residents.
Thankfully, no injuries have been reported.
City authorities in Renton and Tukwila have stated that the flooding is mainly confined to industrial zones, with no residential evacuations underway.
The levee failure occurred on the Desimone levee along the Green River. According to John Taylor, head of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, workers had been proactively installing a “seepage blanket” to mitigate flood risks, and were on-site when the incident occurred.
Laura Pettitt, Renton city spokesperson, reported that the breach was small and being addressed with sandbags. A section of a bike path along the levee’s top sustained damage due to the erosion.
Reid Wolcott, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, explained that the initial flash flood warning covered a large area due to uncertainty about specific flood zones, but has since been refined.
The levee sustained significant damage in a 2020 flood, and long-term repairs are not expected to be complete until 2031. Previous repairs were conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a section of the levee following a 2014 flood.
This event underscores the importance of responsible infrastructure maintenance and the need for local governments to prioritize the safety and well-being of their citizens.
