DATE: January 07, 2009 22:51:00 PST

Press Release, Whatcom County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), 01/07/09 at 10:50 p.m.

Whatcom County residents should expect to see continued flooding throughout lowland areas Thursday and into Friday, with associated road closures.  Water overtopping river banks near Everson forced the closure of Main Street east of Everson at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday evening, and those flood waters have continued to flow north toward Sumas.

The National Weather Service predicts that the Nooksack River will crest at Cedarville near Nugent's Corner, about 2.6 feet above flood stage at 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning, and at Ferndale about 2.3 feet above flood stage 24 hours later, early Friday morning.

The period of flooding is likely to be sustained as rain continues to fall steadily.  This expected long duration of high water in the river is likely to place considerable stress on river levees, causing increased risk of levee failure, and prolong road closures in flooded areas.

Slide activity resulting from water-saturated soil on steep slopes continues to pose a threat to persons and property in those locales.

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