CARNATION, Wash. — Water is beginning to recede in Carnation, where flooding has blocked roads and forced many residents to seek higher ground.
The National Guard called in to help Eastside Fire & Rescue respond to flooding incidents left the area Saturday.
On Thursday night, the city of Carnation sent out a warning on social media to let residents know that, due to cresting waters, Carnation could become an island.
As of Friday night, it was not an island, but roads like NE 80th Street and Ames Lake-Carnation Road were closed.
Whether it's firefighters or farmers, the message in Carnation is the same: Stay prepared.
"We don't take going in to the river lightly," said Lt. Mike O'Brien with Eastside Fire and Rescue.
At the fire station, a 21-foot boat is ready to handle shallow and rough areas of water.
"It's a great tool for us to get to people who might be cut off," said Lt. O'Brien.
A crew from the National Guard was also called in and stationed with Eastside Fire and Rescue. They brought a rig with them that can move people and supplies through up to three feet of water.
Washed-over roads are just one of the obstacles. Farming in a floodplain is the risk Rosy Smit says they prepare for at Carnation Farms.
"We had turkeys right out front, a flock of turkeys, and we had to move them quite a long way in a very short amount of time because the flood prediction quickly got raised," said Smit.
Nearby, for Katie Berman, water is in the way of her work.
"We had to evacuate a couple horses two days ago before it started getting really bad, but there's still some over there and they got to eat," said Berman, who cares for the animals at Kataluna Horse Rescue.
She commuted by kayak to reach the hungry horses. The animals are safe and dry on higher ground.
"Once it floods, there's nothing we can do. It's just a matter of waiting it out," said Smit.
Farmers in Carnation say this is the 5th flood they have dealt with so far this season.
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