YAKIMA, Wash. — While last week’s local floods are over, more torrential rain and flooding in Western Washington and snow in the mountains will make the water levels increase again in the early part of the week.
So far, some significant damage has been done. Some areas had electric poles fall as the water eroded the riverbanks. Other areas saw significant damage to the roads, one being highway 12 near Naches, and another being a bridge.
“We have water on the roads, we built the road on the floodplain, it floods,” said Matt Pietrusiewicz, the Yakima County Engineer. “We do have one substantial damage, stuff on the Nile, off Highway 410, an approach span, it’s a bridge, approach span on the rattlesnake creek.”
Additionally, some of the damage to property might make the owners eligible for property tax relief.
To qualify for the tax relief, the property must have been on the county assessment roll since January 1st of this year, and the damage must have come from a natural disaster, such as the recent flood.
“We’re trying to proactively assign those to our inspectors to be met as quickly as possible,” said Jacob Tate, the Yakima County Assessor. “But we want to patch everything so please come forward to make sure you get those taken care of, it will take an exemption for a portion of this year, and all of next year for your property that is damaged.”
You can file a property tax relief claim on the County Assessor’s website.