(SKYKOMISH, Wash.) — The Bolt Creek Fire this fall left hundreds of acres of rugged forestland scarred and treeless. And without roots and vegetation, the topsoil is much more prone to floods and landslides.
As more rainy weather is on the way, King County is warning residents in the area to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
“As little as a quarter-inch of rain in fifteen minutes can build a flash flood under these conditions,” says County Executive Dow Constantine. “And that can come careening down the hills without warning.”
The Department of Emergency Management has even distributed weather-alert radios to those living in the area.
Drivers who have to travel along Highway 2 over Stevens Pass are also being told to be prepared as the flooding could wash out the roadway, leaving them stranded.
Mitigation efforts are underway, but there’s not much anyone can do until the vegetation re-grows.
