Homes flood as Nisqually River rises into neighborhood streets after dam release
The fast-moving Nisqually River — which rose Thursday when Tacoma Power increased water flow out of its LaGrande Dam — flooded a neighborhood late Thursday.
River water had entered homes near Hayko Lane Southeast at Old Pacific Highway Southeast about 3 p.m. Flood waters were in some cases a foot deep up Sixth Avenue Southeast, and residents of the Riverside Manor Apartments set out sandbags late in the day in an effort to hold back the river.
On Thursday morning, Tacoma Power announced it would increase water flow to 17,000 cubic feet per second by 1 p.m. Thursday and that the increased flows would continue through Friday, according to an alert from Thurston County Emergency Management.
Peak river height was expected in the Nisqually delta by 4 p.m. Thursday.
Homes near or along Hayko Lane, which runs between Old Pacific Highway and Sixth Avenue, appeared to suffer the worst of the flooding.
One man, whose home was about to flood, declined to comment, except to say that he wished the dam would stop releasing water.
Rich Anderson, 75, whose home is on Sixth Avenue with Hayko Lane behind it, said he would stay until the flood waters reached his house. However, he had packed his car and was ready to leave. He termed it a “semi-panic.”
“Those new to the area are panicking, but I’m not,” he said.
Flood response
Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies, Lacey Fire District 3 officials and Puget Sound Energy crews were in the area most of the day.
PSE crews checked power poles as the flood waters rose, spokesman Andrew Padula said. They determined those poles were not in danger of falling over, he said.
Padula also shot down a rumor that they were telling residents in the area to “unhook power.”
“Nobody is being told to do this,” he said.
Although the rising river lapped at sandbags at the Riverside Manor Apartments about 4 p.m., it didn’t appear the river was going to rise up and over those sandbags.
Residents evacuated
Many residents of the 40-unit complex had evacuated by late Thursday, but some continued to stay and watch the river.
Randy McCrory, a 16-year resident, said he was going to stay, confident the river would not come close to his upper-level apartment.
Nancy Perez and her husband, Carlos, who have lived there since 2014, were in wait-and-see mode. However, she had sent the children to stay with their father and a friend, and if the water got any closer, a night at a motel was in her future.
“The car is packed,” she said.
Lynne Hilton, a 12-year resident of the apartments, felt she wasn’t in the “danger zone” yet, but was keeping her eye on the river.
“I’m waiting for it to get bigger,” she said.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 8:30 PM.
