Residents of the city of Pacific were ordered to evacuate immediately due to a dam failure on the White River.
If you are in low-lying areas along a river, you should immediately move to higher ground.
The evacuation zone runs from Ellingson Road, past Third Avenue and along the White River to County Line Road Southwest.
Photo credit: King County Office of Emergency Management (OEM)
According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, at least 70 employees from various agencies went door to door to evacuate people from the affected area.
Deputies say they have received many calls for rescue since they were first activated to assist at 2:30 a.m. and that there are fast-moving currents in the floodwaters.
KCSO Marine Unit evacuated more than 300 people, according to the King County Sheriff's Office. These residents were awakened by the task force and ordered to leave.
KCSO confirmed that about two dozen people were rescued, meaning task force members carried the people out because they were unable to get out on their own.
The water was at first ankle-deep, and then in some places quickly reached the chest.
KCSO is pleading with people to stay home and stay off roads and highways if possible. They say they have serious problems with heavy traffic and are delaying response times to get to people in need on time.
The leak was first discovered at 12:08 pm on Tuesday and emergency crews quickly got to work and raised the alarm.
According to the crews who arrived at the scene, the gap is 40-50 meters.
Around 1:40 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning due to a levee failure on the White River.
The King County Sheriff's Office's Guardian One helicopter flew over the area Tuesday morning, urging people to “evacuate, leave now.”
KIRO 7's Brooke Griffin was at the scene this morning and reported that the residential area has a lot of houses and apartment buildings.
Rescue teams and members of the public also arrived at the scene in large trucks to help evacuate people from the affected areas.
California Task Force Rescue crews from Menlow Park, Sacramento and Oakland were among emergency crews going door to door to make sure everyone was out and safe.
Officials say repairs, including installing giant sandbags, will take several hours.
Officials say they have been monitoring the area and HESCOS (barriers used for flood control) 24/7 for the past week. Just hours before the break, the city of Pacific reported that crews worked on strengthening HESCOS.
The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is working to stabilize the flow of water and said Seattle County personnel were on scene and working with King County officials to assess the damage and determine next steps. USACE says they will use HESCO, sandbags and superbags for direct assistance.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office confirmed their rapid water rescue teams were involved in at least one rescue at the Megans Court Apartments, near South Pacific Avenue and Third Avenue. No one was injured during the rescue operations, deputies confirmed.
Around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, Pacific Police said it was unclear when the evacuation order would be downgraded or lifted.
Shelters and resources
Several points are open as warming and collection points for evacuated residents.
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The Auburn Community and Events Center is open and Red Cross resources are available.
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The Puget Sound Filipino-American community in Algona also offers a warm place to unwind.
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Alpaca Elementary School is open for evacuation, parking is available, and restrooms will be open.
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Sandbags can be purchased at 224 County Line Road.
City offices are closed for regular business today.
Visit Pacific City Facebook page And website to collect locations and additional information.
For more information, visit the King County Emergency Management blog at: kcemergency.com
KIRO 7 is live from here today. We will continue to update this story with any new developments.
