WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Flooding in Whatcom County has displaced hundreds of people and caused an unknown amount of damage to homes.
Up to 500 people were staying in shelters Tuesday, according to county officials.
Damage assessments are just beginning.
The Whatcom Community Foundation is accepting donations to its Resilience Fund. It is matching dollar for dollar, up to $115,000. Local donors came together to create the $100,00 matching pool. Puget Sound Energy added $15,000.
The Red Cross is also assisting in Whatcom and Skagit counties. The Red Cross is accepting donations of pre-packaged snacks and water, as well as monetary donations.
The communities of Nooksack, Everson, and Sumas were some of the hardest hit by the flooding. Sumas officials estimate that more than 75% of homes were evacuated on Tuesday.
Emergency officials in Whatcom County called it the worst flooding since 1990.
An atmospheric river brought heavy rain and wind to western Washington on Sunday night, prompting Flood Warnings on a dozen rivers.
More than 100 water rescues were performed in Whatcom County amid severe flooding over the past few days, according to John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management.
Many of those water rescues occurred because people ignored road closures.
During a press conference Tuesday evening, one official said he wouldn't be surprised if damages to roads and levees end up being in the $7 million to $10 million range due to flooding around the Nooksack River.