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Everett mayor activates emergency response as heavy rain raises river levels; city announces $10 million transit grant
Summary
Mayor Franklin told the Everett City Council tonight that an atmospheric river and heavy rainfall have raised the Snohomish River and may cause localized flooding; the city activated its Emergency Operations Center and opened cold-weather shelters. The mayor also said Everett Transit won a $10,000,000 grant to replace nine buses with hybrid vehicles.
Mayor Franklin gave an emergency update at the Everett City Council meeting on Dec. 10, saying heavy rainfall and an atmospheric river had saturated local watersheds and pushed rivers and stormwater systems toward capacity.
"There is a potential for flooding that may impact the riverfront neighborhood in North Everett," he said, while emphasizing there were no evacuation orders in place at the time. He said the Everett Emergency Operations Center is fully activated and that fire, police and public works teams are monitoring conditions, closing unsafe roadways and assisting residents as needed.
The mayor also announced operational changes tied to the weather: the animal shelter on Smith Island will be closed until further notice and Everett cold-weather shelters were open at United Church of Christ (East Everett shelter at Henson Hall) with adjusted intake windows.
On a separate but related operations note, Mayor Franklin highlighted a transit funding win: "Everett Transit is receiving a $10,000,000 grant to replace 9 of our buses with new hybrid buses," a city prize he described as part of the agency’s fleet replacement plan.
Why it matters: the city’s emergency posture and staffing adjustments — 12-hour shifts for many crews and activation of CERT volunteers — aim to protect residents and critical infrastructure as storms continue. Flooding can isolate neighborhoods, limit access to services and damage homes and utility systems; the mayor asked residents along the Snohomish River and on low-lying islands to monitor official forecasts and city alerts and to avoid driving or walking through floodwaters.
What the city is doing next: Mayor Franklin and staff said they are coordinating with Snohomish County Emergency Management, the PUD and regional partners; public works may close Riverfront Boulevard if conditions worsen, and updates will be posted to the city’s social channels and emergency-alert systems. The administration asked residents to check on neighbors and to follow road-closure signage.
The council did not take a vote on emergency declarations at this meeting; the mayor and staff said they would issue additional notices if conditions change.
