STORY: :: A levee breach in Washington triggers a flash flood warning and evacuation orders after days of heavy rain
"An emergency work authorization to remove a maple tree that was threatening the levee. And while we were working, we got shut down because the levee failed upriver from our position."
:: Tukwila, Washington
:: December 15, 2025
:: Sound Tree Care
:: Renton, Washington
:: Girmay Zahilay, King County Executive
"Around 1130 a.m. this morning the Desimone Levee on the Green River was breached and caused flooding at Olympic Avenue South in Tukwila behind Rainier Industries. Although this was sudden and caused widespread concern, fortunately no one was injured. In coordination with local mayors across South King County, we have been able to respond quickly and the levee is in the process of being repaired.'
:: Auburn, Washington
King County officials said that repairs could take several hours and that officials were closely monitoring the Desimone Levee in Tukwila along the Green River, about five miles south of downtown Seattle, where a car-sized chunk of the levee was washed away by floodwaters.
Images showed workers using heavy equipment to drop large sandbags into the hole, working to keep it from growing.
Separate ground level video showed the scale of the breach. Reuters was able to verify the location of the video from the buildings, parking lots and over bends, which matched satellite imagery of the area. The date was verified by the metadata on the original video file.
The National Weather Service said its flood warning related to the levee failure would remain in effect until at least 9 p.m. (0500 GMT Tuesday).
The Washington National Guard said that it was sending Guard members to King County. The Guard has already been helping flood-impacted residents in the western part of the state over the weekend.
Authorities have been concerned about levee breaches for days around Washington state, as torrential downpours hit a wide swath of the Pacific Northwest.
