Volunteer Mar Apr:Layout 1
3/12/09
2:11 PM
Page 50
Winter flooding along the Interstate
5 interchange in downtown Chehalis
ultimately shut down this major artery.
Record snows, rains
wreak havoc in western
CAP pilots document
Washington a major disaster
By Janet Adams
F
First came the snow in early January in the Pacific Northwest, piling up across the hills
and in the valleys of western Washington. More snow fell than in the disastrous winter of
2006-2007, when flooding from winter rains and melting snow destroyed roads and farms
and damaged houses and buildings, many beyond repair. The winter of 2008-2009 continued the flooding pattern, spawned by the triple forces of heavy snows, warming temperatures
and heavy rains, exacerbated by slopes devoid of vegetation.
Hours of heavy rains — 7 inches in 24 hours at Marblemount in the foothills of the
majestic Cascade Mountains — led to landslides. Clear-cut hillsides could not break up
the avalanches that roared down slopes nor keep mudslides in check as these twin forces
Civil Air Patrol Volunteer
50
March-April 2009
Volunteer Mar Apr:Layout 1
3/12/09
2:11 PM
Page 51
swept into rivers and valleys, causing rising waters. In
ing like western Washington experienced, “A narrow
the town of Snoqualmie, more than 30,000 people left
river becomes a very, very broad lake, and it takes out
their homes as more than 10 inches of snow at
everything in its path. There were bodies of water where
Snoqualmie Pass melted in 12 hours, triggering more
they’re not supposed to be,” Zentner said.
flooding, according to reports in the Seattle Times and
“We saw a lot of trailer homes and pastures flooded
other newspapers.
out.” Particularly striking, he said, were such sights as
A 20-mile stretch of a major artery, Interstate 5, was
“a barn sitting in the middle of a lake” that hadn’t
closed by flooding, and in the Cascades major eastbeen there before.
west routes were forced to close as avalanches and
While the aircrews were in flight, technology kept
mudslides blocked roads. Emergency rescues by boat
Washington Wing’s director of operations, Lt. Col.
and helicopter and stories of
James Furlong, and director of
stranded families and animals
emergency services, Capt.
were documented daily in the
Tony Porterfield, on top of
Times and on local TV.
the situation from the ground.
Given the need for immediate
Furlong was at home in
assessment of present and potenFederal Way, between Seattle
tial damage, the state
and Tacoma, monitoring things
Department of Transportation
by computer — especially via
turned to CAP to photograph
CAP’s Web Mission
the aftermath using the DOT’s
Information Reporting System,
own digital imaging equipment.
or WMIRS — and telephone.
The agency’s aviation emergency
Porterfield’s base was the
coordinator, Tom Peterson, had
Department of Transportation’s
spent 22 years in CAP’s Oregon
40-foot portable command
and Washington wings, includtrailer in Olympia, which proing four years as director of oper- 2nd Lt. Joseph Coppick, left, and 1st Lt. Edgar Rojas vided him and others with full
ations for the Washington Wing. of the Washington Wingʼs Mount Rainier Composite
communications, Internet and
Squadron
and
Maj.
Harlan
Zentner
of
the
wingʼs
Peterson served as incident
office resources.
Renton Composite Squadron prepare for a high-bird
commander for the mission, durAfter the mission, state offiflight during a photographic assessment mission in
ing which 19 members from five the wake of major flooding.
cials reported a 58 percent
composite squadrons — Fort
usability rate for the CAP airVancouver, Mount Rainier,
crews’ photographs — an
Renton, Paine Field and Seattle — made 21 flights over
impressive figure, Porterfield said, considering they were
two days to provide aerial imagery and damage assessusing the DOT’s digital photographic and tracking
ment. In all, the CAP aircrews flew five aerial photo sorequipment rather than the CAP equipment on which
ties totaling 16.7 hours, yielding about 800 images of
they had been trained. “They did a really good job using
the flooding.
someone else’s equipment,” he said. “Their dependabiliMaj. Harlan Zentner of the Renton Composite
ty and flexibility was a credit to them as aircrews.”
Squadron spent 2½ hours airborne as observer on one highPorterfield then added what may be a pilot’s ultimate
bird flight. His plane served as the communications platcompliment: “There’s not one of those aircrews I
form for the other CAP planes during what he described as
wouldn’t fly with myself.” L
“the tail-end of the major portion of the storm.”
Washington Wing Public Affairs Officer 1st Lt. Ruth
The devastation below was unforgettable. After floodPeterson contributed to this report.
Citizens Serving Communities...Above and Beyond
51
www.gocivilairpatrol.com