Eastern WA first responders step in to assist the west side during floods

Members of Spokane Valley Fire Department’s “Swiftwater Rescue Strike Team” and from the Spokane Fire Department rescued two groups of people stranded in their homes after being deployed Wednesday to flood-stricken Skagit and Snohomish counties, as more crews searched the neighborhood for others, according to a post on social media from the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

They were among Eastern Washington first responders who rushed to the Puget Sound area as historic floods followed days of heavy rain and warm temperatures.

The “catastrophic” flooding, as described by the National Weather Service, has put nearly 100,000 people on the west side of the state under evacuation orders, many residing in Skagit and Snohomish counties.

One fire chief told The Seattle Times in an email that t