Farmers worried about crop as the rain continues to pound Puget Sound
CARNATION - Flood warnings continue to go out all across Western Washington as the relentless rain pounds the area. Roads are flooded in some spots Saturday and it will get worse with the rain here to stay until Monday.
Everywhere you look the water is expanding in Carnation.
Roads were shut down, fields turned into ponds and golf courses closed for the day.
Sean Kiaer, a volunteer with the National Weather Service will be spending the next few days looking out for flooded streets and possible landslides in the Carnation area.
“We are the eyes and ears for those back in Seattle in the weather office,” Kiaer said.
Despite the bad road conditions, Kiaer says the rain is serving its purpose.
“It’s filling up our reservoirs which we desperately need last I heard we are in for a long dry hot summer,” Kiaer said.
But when you live in this rural town every inch of rain could lead to a disaster.
“I’m glad I bought up in the hill and not in the valley I have a horse farm and I would be terrified to have livestock out here,” Carnation resident Florence Fleming said.
Bob Seana is terrified over more than just livestock, he has 36 acres of organic flowers and plants to protect on West Snoqulamie River Road.
“Every year the flood waters come higher and higher, when you are out here in the valley inches are important,” Seana said.
To make it worse the snow caps in the mountains are melting adding to the record rainfall we’ve seen this month. if the Snoqualmie River overflows, Seana’s entire crop will vanish.
“It will wash the soil right from underneath the flowers, if we lose our dirt we don’t have any farms,” Seana said.
The farmers have so much to lose and unfortunately they don’t have much they can do to protect their crops if a big flood comes rushing in.