Flooding In Ellensburg

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Story Published: Jan 7, 2009 at 6:53 PM PDT

By Melissa Wagner

At the Pilot Travel Center just off I-90 in Ellensburg, water was already up to the door. The sandbags were brought in time to save Pilot, but the Perkins Restaurant has about 9 inches of water inside. Gas and electricity were turned off at both sites.

It's not just the water, but what's in the water, that is causing problems. " The damage is already done," says Kevin Johnson with D&M Motor Towing.

An Ellensburg City Council member says these businesses off exit 106 are in a flood zone. But Capt. Fallor with Kittitas Fire and Rescue says this is a first for him, " I have never dealt with this before here. No."

These floodwaters took everyone by surprise. Most of the truck drivers were able to get their vehicles out of the Pilot Travel Center parking lot in time. But one driver wasn't so lucky."

The guys with D&M Motor Towing wanted to help out any way they could, so they sent a crew to rescue a driver. He pulled in late at night, and went to sleep. When he woke up the next morning his cab was knee-deep in water.

The cold water was also seeping into the rescue vehicle, which made things even worse. "It was frigid, like a million needles going through your body, " says James Baker, with D&M.

They finally got the truck to a safer spot and the driver got out. Just as they rescued that driver, they spotted another one who had just woken up to find himself in the same situation. So it was back in the water for these guys.

The Emergency Operations Center was activated for Kittitas County. Undersheriff Clayton Myers says the three big problems are flooding, an avalanche at Hyak, and a mud slide on Red Bridge Road.

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