More Flooding Expected: What you need to know

Announcement from Mason County All Hazard News 1/29/2020:

"REMINDER:

Mason County Emergency Management wishes to remind the upper Skokomish Valley residents that the evacuation route using Green Diamond 800 Road is not available and will remain closed due to landslide damage. We suggest sheltering in place or remain vigilant to the river levels and leave the area prior to the closing of the Skokomish Valley Road. Emergency services personnel WILL have access to the upper valley area.

Please use the following website to keep up on the Skokomish River water levels:

https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=sew&gage=srpw1

If you have not already signed up for Mason County's emergency alerting system (AlertSense), you can at:

https://public.alertsense.com/SignUp/?regionid=1187 "

If you are active on Facebook, Mason County All Hazard News is a centralized page to receive updates on hazardous conditions throughout the county.

West Mason Fire cares about your safety. Please remember to not drive through flooded roadways or past "road closure" signs. Stay safe and dry!

A Note on Flood Safety

This time of year brings heavy rains and the potential for flooding, especially in the area of the Skokomish River. Heavy flood water can easily overtake a vehicle, which can be dangerous for the driver, passengers, and emergency responders. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2005), most flood fatalities occur due to people attempting to drive through flooded roads.

If you find yourself in a flooded area, there are a few steps to follow to keep yourself and your loved ones safe:

1. Don’t ignore road closure signs or barricades! Driving past these signs is unsafe AND unlawful.

2. Don’t drive through flooded areas. Both swift moving and standing water can pose a safety risk by sweeping the vehicle off the roadway, cause engine problems or other damage, or deteriorate the road conditions beneath the water.

3. Pay attention to local flood and weather conditions. Current conditions for the Skokomish River can be found here: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=12061500

4. Pay attention to local road closure announcements and then avoid traveling on those roads until the closures are cleared. Mason County road closure notices can be found here: https://www.co.mason.wa.us/public-works/road-closures.php

If you DO find yourself in a flood emergency, do your best to get to higher ground and call 911.

Due to deteriorating road conditions, the evacuation route is available to emergency vehicle road traffic only.

The firefighters and emergency medical technicians with West Mason Fire have the training and equipment necessary to help you in your

time of need, but failing to follow flood safety puts yourself AND the emergency responders in danger. Please be safe and stay dry!

New Year, New Website

The new year felt like a natural transition point to introduce our new website layout, providing access to fire district information and news in an easy to follow format.

One of these changes is to provide frequent content and news updates. If there is a fire service topic you'd like to see covered, please contact us to let us know. Additionally, if we have missed something you'd like to see posted on our website, we are always open to feedback!

Our website is still maintained by volunteers, and we will do our best to keep it updated to better meet the needs of the community we serve.

If you would like to be involved but cannot volunteer as a first responder, there are still plenty of ways you can help us help you. We hope to bring more community education opportunities in 2020, and we always welcome the public's feedback at our Commissioner meetings. Attending meetings is a great way to learn how the fire district works, where your tax dollars are being spent, and opportunities to help serve your community.

Wishing you all a wonderful, safe, and healthy new year!