Flood UPDATE—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

Heavy rain continued yesterday, though it did slow down compared to Monday. Over the past 24 hours, we’ve seen about an inch and a half. Flood warnings remain in effect along the Cowlitz River.

Some of the worst flooding yesterday hit parts of Kalama. Camp Kalama was evacuated in the morning, with water reaching an estimated foot deep at sunrise. Several RVs were parked along the roadway as people moved out of the area. It’s still unclear how much damage was done. Haydu Park was also completely underwater yesterday morning.

In the past two days, multiple local roads have been closed because of flooding. Some—but not all—have reopened. As a reminder, don’t drive across flooded or closed roadways. Around 5 a.m., Allen Street at the Coweeman River reopened just east of the high school. Spirit Lake Highway briefly shut down yesterday morning before crews were able to reopen it. Up north, it was a mess around Napavine and Chehalis. I-5 shut down for a short time at Exit 72. That exit stayed closed until the evening; it saw some of the worst flooding, with multiple vehicles and a semi-truck partially submerged.

For those dealing with rising water, free sandbags are available. Longview residents can pick them up from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the City Shop at 1426 Alabama Street. Kelso residents can get them at the Public Works Operations Shop at 2300 Parrott Way from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cowlitz County Public Works also has sandbags available between 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Central Shop at 2215 Talley Way in Kelso.

Some additional rain is expected today, but nowhere near the totals of the past two days—about a quarter inch during the day, with another quarter to a half inch possible overnight.