If you live, work or travel through the Green River Valley, you probably already know about concerns over the Howard Hanson Dam. While the dam itself is sound, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, the abutment of natural earth which helps to hold the waters back appears to be eroding, raising fears that more water than usual will have to be released during heavy rains in order to relieve pressure on the dam. For people and businesses in the Green River Valley, this means an increased risk of flooding.

While the Army Corps has assured the public that there is no risk of the dam failing, those who are in the higher-flood-risk area are encouraged to take precautions and to check that they have sufficient insurance to cover flooding, sewer backup, landslides, sinkholes, etc.

Information on how to prepare for a flood (including how to get flood insurance) or what to do in case of flooding can be found on the kingcounty.gov website. A Flood Safety checklist is available from the Seattle Red Cross.

GHCU’s Tukwila branch is located in the higher-risk zone, so, to protect staff and members, we’ve taken precautions in case of flooding. Should the branch need to close due to flooding, members will be able to find information on open GHCU branches and nearby Shared Branching locations at our website, ghcu.org, or by calling us at 206-298-9394 or 800-562-5515. Of course, members who have signed up for Online Banking will have 24/7 access to their accounts as always. If you have not yet registered for our free, easy Online Banking, feel free to give us a call and we’ll get you started.

Filed under: Community Highlights, GHCU News by Shannon