West Richland Real Estate Blog

At 8:45 am this morning (Saturday), Benton County Emergency Services notified us that they’ve activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate the county’s response to the Yakima River Flooding that’s now underway.

That alert was an update to one sent at 7:00 am today, which had these numbers and warnings about the Yakima River flooding and cresting:

The Yakima River as measured in the Kiona-Benton City area in Benton County reached flood stage of 13 feet at 5:30 p.m. Friday, January 9, 2009. As of 7 a.m. today (Saturday), the river level at the Kiona-Benton City gage is 14.9 feet. Current forecasts show the river cresting at about 15.3 feet later this afternoon and falling below flood stage sometime Monday morning. Levels above 15 feet can cause moderate flooding of roads and property along the river. (Please note that these numbers are based on current projections and are subject to change).

Emergency crews will be in the field early this morning to assess the current situation. Several roads in the Benton City and West Richland areas are now covered with water. Residents are reminded not to drive around barricades nor drive on water-covered roads.

Residents should continue to monitor river levels in their area and take whatever precautionary measures are warranted to protect property. Please listen for situation updates on local radio and television stations. Information is also available on the Benton County Emergency Services website at www.bces.wa.gov.

With the EOC activated, officials are asking the rest of us not to call 9-1-1 except in the event of a life-threatening emergency.

If all goes well, we may try to go out and get some photos today of the flooding. Even if that’s not possible, we’ll continue to post updates on this blog post.

5:45 pm Saturday update: BCES sent out this update about the flooding situation:

The Yakima River as measured in the Kiona-Benton City area in Benton County was at 15.5 feet at 5:45 Saturday, January 10. Current forecasts show the river may be very close to its crest at the measuring station in Benton City. Waters are not expected to fall below flood stage (13 feet) until sometime Monday morning.

Numerous roads in an around the Yakima River near Benton City, West Richland, and Richland remain under water. Once flood waters recede crews will assess any damage to roads. Residents are reminded not to drive around barricades nor drive on water-covered roads.

We’ve posted some photos taken in West Richland this afternoon and several flooding videos, too.

Thank you for reading this article on the West Richland Real Estate Blog. If you arrived here looking for specific real estate information, or would like to speak with a friendly, fun, professional, and low-pressure real estate agent, please contact Cari via her web site or call her directly at 509 – 430 – 5342 and she’ll be glad to help. Thanks again for visiting!