Historic Washington Flooding: How you can help those impacted

Located along the Snohomish River on Chinook Farms, Food Bank Farm was deluged when the river ran over its banks on the evening of December 10. Photo courtesy of Wes Barga.
Located along the Snohomish River on Chinook Farms, Food Bank Farm was deluged when the river ran over its banks on the evening of December 10. Photo courtesy of Wes Barga.

Over the past three weeks, Washington has been drenched by several atmospheric river systems, pushing Western and Central Washington rivers over their banks and busting through levees, leading to evacuations and catastrophic flooding in both rural and urban communities. The impacts have been tremendous for so many Washingtonians, and our hearts go out to all who have been affected by this natural disaster.

Here in Hopelink’s North and East King County service area, the greatest damage has been in Snoqualmie Valley. Due to road closures and for the safety of our community, we closed our Sno-Valley Center & Food Market in Carnation from December 9 – 12. On December 11, the Snoqualmie River crested, causing flooding and property damage in communities like Carnation, Duvall, and Fall City.

As flood waters recede and our neighbors survey the damage to their homes and businesses, we expect we’ll see an increase in requests for temporary shelter and financial assistance. We may also see longer term impacts on our Food Assistance program, which is supplied by farms that were flooded along the Snoqualmie, Snohomish, and Skykomish river basins, including Food Bank Farm.

Owned by The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Redmond and operated by Father Jim Eichner, Food Bank Farm donates all of its harvest to area food banks and pantries, including Hopelink's Food Assistance program. Photo courtesy of Wes Barga.
Owned by The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Redmond and operated by Father Jim Eichner, Food Bank Farm donates all of its harvest to area food banks and pantries, including Hopelink’s Food Assistance program. Photo courtesy of Wes Barga.

Like we saw with last year’s bomb cyclone, unexpected costs – like property damage or loss of work – have a disproportionate impact on people experiencing poverty. This is because these communities are less likely to have savings or other financial resources to rebound from a crisis, among other systemic factors, according to a recent report by the World Bank and Disaster Philanthropy.

In light of all this loss, so many of you have been reaching out, asking how you can help our neighbors recover. We’ve compiled a few ways you can help out:

  • Make a gift to Hopelink under “area of greatest need,” which will help us respond quickly as more neighbors turn to Hopelink for recovery assistance.
  • Give what you’re able to the Farmer Flood Relief Fund, assisting impacted farms along the Snoqualmie, Snohomish, and Skykomish River basins.

Your responsiveness and generosity make all the difference during this difficult time. We couldn’t be more grateful. If you’d like to discuss other ways you might be able to help, please contact us here.

Flood recovery resources

If you or someone you know has been impacted by recent flooding, these resources may be able to provide assistance:

  • Call 211, visit wa211.org, or text 211WAOD to 898211 for connection to shelter, food, water, evacuation assistance, sandbags, and more local resources.