A levee failed on the Green River, and people in low-lying areas of Tukwila must move to higher ground immediately.
As of 2:30 pm, KIRO 7 confirmed that a temporary repair on the breach has been completed, and is holding up.
The city of Tukwila has issued a Level 1 “get set” evacuation for a larger area outside of the breach.
“Conditions can change suddenly with very little warning. The City is urging people to “GET SET” to evacuate on very short notice in the Southcenter District, the West Valley Hwy area, and the east side of Interurban Ave South (north of I-405 and the north end of Foster Golf Course) which are prone to flooding. Conditions may worsen.
The affected area in Tukwila is a commercial business park in the southeast corner of Tukwila. The affected area extends into Kent and Renton.
No apartments or residential houses in Tukwila are affected.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle issued a Flash Flood Warning early this afternoon due to the failure of the Desimone Levee along Todd Boulevard.
It initially covered almost 47,000 people, but was reduced in a few hours to an area covering 7,000 people.
“Leave immediately if you are in this area. Conditions are dangerous and access routes can be lost at any time. Go north or south of the evacuated area away from flood waters. Do not drive or walk in standing or moving water. Do not turn, do not drown. Do not drive around barricades or road closures,” Governor Bob Ferguson said online.
The King County Sheriff’s Office shared video from their Guardian One helicopter of the standoff:
Emergency shelters
There are three shelters set up for those who need to evacuate:
Auburn Community and Event Center, 910 9th St SE, Auburn, WA, 98002
Ray of Hope Shelter, 2806 Auburn Way N. Auburn, WA, 98002
Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE., Monroe, WA 98272 (Open 24 hours) – Pets welcome
Tukwila – affected areas
Tukwila police say as of 2:23PM the affected area is a commercial business park located in the southeast corner of the city, affecting portions of Tukwila, Kent, and Renton.
Residential areas of Tukwila including Allentown, Foster Point, and Duwamish are not under an evacuation order.
There is currently no evacuation order for areas in Tukwila north of S. 180th Street or west of the Green River.
The Southcenter District remains open at this time.
Boeing issued a warning to employees in the area. If severe weather affects any Boeing operations, employees can get the status on their site by calling the Boeing Employee Emergency Hotline (1-800-899-6431) and going to http://boeing.com/emergency. If a site is not named, operations are normal.
Renton city limits are not being evacuated
At 3:30 pm Renton announced that areas within the city limits are not being asked to evacuate at this time.
We see the break of the levee
A tree care company says crews were working near the levee when it failed. Sound Tree Care LLC posted on Facebook, saying their crew was performing authorized emergency tree work to remove a maple tree that was threatening the levee. It failed over the river from their position. No one was hurt.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.