High waters slowly recede after flooding from Skagit River overwhelms small town of Hamilton
HAMILTON, Wash. - High waters are slowly receding in Hamilton after severe flooding from the Skagit River overwhelmed the small town. Yet so many people are still feeling the impact of the recent storms.
Pettit Street, the main road into town, and two other streets are closed due to flooding. Several residents in Hamilton don’t know how bad the damages are because they haven’t been able to go home since Sunday.
"Rough. Kind of like a nightmare," said Bert Kerns, who has lived in Hamilton since 1980.
Kerns, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said he has never seen Skagit River so high.
"Once I seen it yesterday when it was right up to the fire department, I thought, wow the whole town is underwater now. Might not be anything left," said Kerns.
Kerns and dozens of other people escaped to higher grounds at the Hamilton First Baptist Church. The American Red Cross opened a shelter Sunday evening for those who needed a safe place to stay. The site manager said the shelter serves about 35 to 40 people per night. The manager also mentioned about five people have slept inside the shelter, while majority of the other residents were more comfortable choosing to sleep in their RV’s or cars. The shelter will stay open as long as needed.
Karey Martinson stops by Pettit Street every day to check the water levels.
"Through this big racing water, my house is over there and I haven’t been able to get there," said Martinson.
She said her house is on higher ground, but her yard will be damaged. Martinson said despite the disastrous flooding, she is seeing people stepping up to support their neighbors.
"Everybody comes together to help each other. I mean, we’re all a tight, tight community. So, we’ll all pull through," said Martinson.
Pulling through gets a little easier as the water slowly recedes. However, returning home to what’s left is what Kerns said will be the hard part.
"Everybody up here needs prayers to keep us going," said Kerns. "There are some people that are just really broken down. All they need is a kind word and a pat on their shoulder. Sometimes that’s all they need. It’s good to have people around you when there’s stuff like this."
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