Flooding in Ellensburg was reported on May 2 for roughly a week due to a quick turnaround of warm temperatures and rapid snow melt from Naneum Canyon in Kittitas County, according to Public Information Officer for the City of Ellensburg Nicole Klauss.

“I think whenever there’s a flooding incident, we just have to come together and work together in the community and help your neighbor out [and] work together to protect public infrastructure properties and people,” Klauss said. 

The City of Ellensburg responds to events like these by providing three sandbag stations in the city for residents to take to their flooded areas, according to Klauss. These stations are located at Whippel Park in West Ellensburg, 7th Ave and Cascade St and Kiwanis Park. 

Residents can find nearby sandbag station locations on The City of Ellensburg’s Facebook page.

“We offer free sand and free sandbags so residents can stop by on their own time to put the sand into the sandbags and take to their own property to protect their property in the event of a local flooding threat,” Klauss said. 

Applying the sandbags to affected areas is the best way residents can prepare for flooding and extreme weather, according to Klauss.  

Residents can stay updated through the city’s social media pages including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @cityofellensburg with updates and alerts, as well as keeping an eye out for flooded creeks when a crew is not on duty, according to Klauss. 

“If it’s raining a lot and there’s something covering the storm drains, sometimes that can build up, so picking up after yourself and cleaning up debris from your own yard is helpful,” Klauss said.

The City of Ellensburg is hard at work to keep flooding to a minimum, according to Klauss. 

“The city has crews cleaning out culvert, cleaning out trash racks, kind of doing that on a regular basis,” Klauss said. “We have the street sweeper that clears the streets to try to prevent some of the debris from getting caught in the storm drain.”  

The best way to navigate flooding situations in Ellensburg is to stay prepared, according to Klauss. 

“I think it’s just always good to be prepared for really any kind of disaster,” Klauss said. “You never know what Mother Nature [is] going to throw at you.”