Benton County evaluates flood damage while preparing for potential new flooding this week
By William Albert
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RICHLAND (KAPP) — Benton County emergency officials are evaluating flood damage and preparing for the possibility of more high water later this week after historic flooding hit the region.
Last week, parts of Richland, West Richland and Benton City were hit by flooding after the Yakima River reached historic 30-year high water levels, pushing the area into major flood stage on Saturday. In response, the American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at Central Church in Richland, while Benton County Emergency Management coordinated with local first responders throughout the flooding.
“The densely populated and heavily impacted area was the Beach RV Park in Benton City, very close to the Yakima River, and they were dramatically impacted,” said Deanna Davis, Benton County Emergency Management manager. “They were under an evacuation request for that area.”
Since the flooding has calmed, Benton County Emergency Management is now in the documentation phase, collecting information from residents and businesses about damage caused by the flooding.
“We document the damage that is there, and we submit that to our state agencies in hopes of painting the picture of what our community just went through — what the impacts were to businesses and homes in that area,” Davis said.
She says there is a very short window to collect that data.
“We have a really short turnaround time for a high-end preliminary evaluation, so we’ll be looking at overhead footage from areas where we see water and submitting very preliminary numbers to the state,” Davis said.
Early estimates already show significant impacts.
“We’ve estimated around 50 homes, plus the Beach RV area, which has about 110 spots,” Davis said. “There are some significant numbers there — whether those residents took on substantial water, we won’t know until that damage evaluation process moves further.”
Benton County Emergency Management officials say they’re still working to determine the full scope of damage from last week’s flooding. But they also say the threat isn’t over, with the potential for more flooding in the coming days.
“With the potential weather systems that are coming through, we’re looking at possibly reaching flood stage again by Thursday,” Davis said.
Benton County Emergency Management says crews are staying prepared for additional flooding while also working to determine whether the area may qualify for FEMA assistance.
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