Crews racing Mother Nature to repair 30 levees

Crews racing Mother Nature to repair 30 levees

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Story Published: Nov 19, 2008 at 11:45 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 6:02 AM PDT

By Robert Santos

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PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. -- Repair crews are scrambling to fix 30 levees heavily damaged during last week's storm before the next big downpour.

The latest storm caused the Puyallup and Carbon Rivers to swell and rampage. The Carbon River, choked by gravel and debris, changed course, steering right toward the levee just 30 feet from some homes.

"We were lucky because the dike didn't start going until river started going back down," said a local resident who identified himself as Larry.

County officials now consider the damage done by the storm critical because of potential dangers to homes.

"If it isn't replaced and the main stem river were to pop its bank, it could very easily find its way into the city of Orting, approximately 11,000 citizens," said Tony Fantello, Pierce County Water Management.

The rivers no longer look like a threat, but at the height of last week's storms, it was moving fast and overflowed its banks, nearly taking out nearby roads.

"It would've been terrible. People wouldn't have been able to get away should rivers had risen higher," said Larry.

The county believes the storm left an approximately $4.5 million trail of damage. The county admits there's a lot of work to do in a short period of time.

"I'm real glad they're getting it done now," said Larry. "This wouldn't stand another one."

Now, if only Mother Nature will give us a long enough break.


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