A family in Lyman is packing up as fast as possible as the Skagit River swiftly eats away at their property.
"Over here where this tree went out was 35-40 feet of land this morning before I went to work," Richard Guidinger said.
Guidinger says they're losing 10 feet of land every hour. He built his house on the spot bordering the Skagit River and learned soon after that danger was flowing in their direction.
Every winter, the Skagit would take more of his property without asking permission. Guidinger asked for help.
Documents show the Army Corps of Engineers tried to reinforce a levee in 2015, a report written by an engineer Guidinger consulted said the work did not totally fix the problem. The emergency situation remained, it reads.
"This is three years ago. They haven't taken any further action at all," Guidinger said. "This is my dream house."
Skagit County Emergency Management told KING 5 they can't do much, but it's possible the city of Lyman could request funds to buy the property. They sent us the following statement:
"FEMA, through the Emergency Management Division of Washington, offers money for buyouts primarily through the Hazard Mitigation Buyout Program (HGMP). If there is money available in FEMA's budget cycle, they will announce the program and request applications. The jurisdiction, in this case the Town of Lyman, would need to apply. The current HGMP offering is midway through the application process. Lyman may need to apply under the next grant cycle."
Guidinger returned home from work today to find his huge propane tank had dropped into the river.
Eddie Hills, the Mayor of Lyman, told KING 5 he informed the Army Corps of Engineers that the propane tank might go into the Skagit River and their response was, “It will float.”
The Red Cross has been notified and is available to help any families in need.
For Guidinger, this is no holiday. Instead of preparing for a big family dinner, he's trying to figure out where his family will live.
"At the rate it's going, I don't think I'm going to have a house here tomorrow," he said.
