As floodwaters recede, King County farmers face daunting cleanup

Farmers near the Green River in South King County say the flooding they’ve experienced this month is unlike anything in recent memory. Now the water is receding — and the work ahead looks overwhelming.

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t Whistling Train Farm between Kent and Auburn, Shelley Pasco raises vegetables like leeks, squash, and kale for a network of subscribers. She also grows cut flowers like zinnias. But now her 15 acres are underwater.

She parks her vehicle on the road (which has been closed for days) and wades through a foot or so of water to reach her house and inspect the damage — warning that a misstep can mean toppling into mud like “quicksand.”

Pasco said in 25 years the buildings and larger part of the farm’s acres never flooded, until last Saturday.

“Nobody got an evacuation notice,” she said. “When I went to bed the water was going down. Then we woke up in the middle of the night to weather alerts.”

RELATED: Hundreds evacuate in south King County as flood barrier fails

“When we came outside, there was water up to the house, and we could watch it rising, it was going so fast,” she said. Pasco said she and her neighbors fled in a panic.

Five days later, the water has dropped by at least a foot, and she’s thrilled to spy her missing cat. But she’s also calculating the damage from days of standing water.

It includes seeds and fertilizer destroyed, potential soil impacts, and a tractor that’s been submerged.

“It’s just going to be so much work to get everything cleaned up. We have to clean and drain and oil all the machinery,” she said.

Pasco’s tiny house was under construction, now she has to tear out the recently installed drywall and flooring. But first she’s hoping to “triage” her soaked bookshelves. She’s heard you can freeze wet books to keep them from getting moldy.

“My friend has a freezer that’s empty so we’re just going to stuff it with soggy books,” she said.

RELATED: 'Depressed, stressed, and under the weather.' Washington families take refuge at emergency flood shelters

Pasco doesn’t have flood insurance. As she starts her work, a team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or “FEMA” comes through doing damage assessments. She’s hoping that means some financial help with all this cleanup.

The federal emergency declaration gives uninsured and underinsured property owners access to aid through FEMA's Individuals and Households Program.

The Washington Farmland Trust said the recent floods pose multiple concerns for farmers: loss of income from destroyed crops, field contaminants, loss of equipment, and unwanted debris. The trust said it is developing a plan to distribute funds to affected farmers and deploy volunteers to assist with cleanup efforts.

This week KUOW's "Seattle Now" examined the implications of floods for the state's farmers.

David Rothstein with Salmonberry Goods which distributes produce from Washington state farmers said they've heard a range of impacts from mild to extreme but the "sheer frequency" of weather disasters for local farmers is a major concern.