Rivers flood homes, major roadways in Snohomish County



GRANITE FALLS, Wash. -- The Stillaguamish River spilled beyond its banks, flooding homes and roads in Snohomish County for several hours and forcing many people to move to higher ground.

Sarah Ritchey said she was in a race against time as she watched the Stillaguamish River flood her garage. Her family of 10 moved into their Granite Falls home in September and had no idea a flood was possible. A lot of her family's things are still boxed up in their flooded garage.

"I’m not sure what’s good or bad in there," Ritchey said.  "I think there’s about six or seven inches of standing water in the garage."

Snohomish County officials warned that several area rivers would be beyond flood stage for several hours. Floodwaters from the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River closed SR 530 just east of Arlington.

Authorities want motorists to stop if water is covering a roadway. Officials say motorists have no way of knowing how deep the water actually is during floods.