top of page
Search

Chelan County receives assurance from federal officials of storm recovery efforts

Stehekin impacted by high waters, Dec. 10-11. Photo courtesy: NWPB.
Stehekin impacted by high waters, Dec. 10-11. Photo courtesy: NWPB.

A record flood hit the Chelan Valley communities of Stehekin and Holden earlier this month and the recovery work continues.


Cliff Courtney, a resident of Stehekin, told KOZI that he and his wife were brought to drier ground by helicopter when their home was stranded by high water.


"We came through amazingly well, as far as homes (damaged)," said Courtney. "We had one home that had water up on their floor, substantially, and another lakeside cabin that got hit pretty hard with one of the creeks. All in all, the main damage was roads and utilities."


The long term impacts to a community that relies on tourism is the concern aired by Chelan County Commissioner Brad Hawkins. He says assessing damages is ongoing as the Forest Service looks at reopening a road to Holden and the National Park Service deals with a destroyed sewer treatment facility at Stehekin.


"Are they committed to rebuilding it, are they committed to rebuilding the roads?" Hawkins asked officials with both federal agencies. "I just want to make sure that the National Park Service is fully committed to rebuilding and repairing, and the answer I received was yes. That they've already had those conversations in Washington D.C. and that was what was reported to them."


Commissioner Hawkins says Chelan County Emergency Management says, "We've received as many resources as we can, all of our requests (for assistance) have been met."


"For the most part we got a lot of the ditches, shoulders stabilized," Chelan County Public Works Director Eric Pierson said in reviewing storm recovery work with county commissioners on Monday. "We do have the area up in Chumstick and up Mission Creek where unfortunately it's a steep slope. So for the most part we got a lot of that stuff accomplished. We're very lucky in terms of comparing with what the state was impacted with."


If your household experienced damage from the December windstorm and flood, the Chelan County Solid Waste program is offering a free flood disposal voucher program for residents to get rid of blown-down trees and flood-damaged debris.

 

The program is for in-city and unincorporated residents; however, only people who suffered property damage from the Dec. 10-11 storms are eligible. The voucher program runs through Jan. 3.

 

“This is the first time Chelan County has opened a program like this to help people who have damage from flooding,” said Pierson,. “We will keep it open through Jan. 3 and then re-evaluate to determine if people need additional days. Weather also may play a factor in our timeline so we’re asking people to please be patient.”

 

To start a flood disposal voucher, you must first complete a form, providing your name, address and other details. When you are ready to dispose of your load, take the debris and the form to one of two drop-off locations, where an attendant will review the debris load before accepting it into the free program.

 

Forms are available online here or at the drop-off locations, which are:

 

  • The Dryden Transfer Station, 9073 Hwy 2 near Dryden, is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Holidays will impact those hours. See the facility’s website for its holiday closures.

 

  • The Leavenworth Day Pit, at East Leavenworth and Icicle roads, is open 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 23, Dec. 26-27, Dec. 29-30 and Jan. 2-3.

 

Each of the two drop-off sites has different guidelines for flood-related debris and woody debris. Go to the county’s website to read the full details before deciding which one you will use.


Comments

bottom of page