Washington leaders say flood risk eased but still 'moderate'; National Guard, Army Corps deployed for levee repairs

Gov. Bob Ferguson and King County and federal officials said Saturday that recent flooding has put unprecedented stress on levees across parts of western Washington but that the immediate risk of a new breach has decreased in recent days while remaining "moderate." They described a multiagency effort to patrol, shore up and, where needed, temporarily repair levees while the flood fight continues.

The governor opened the availability by offering condolences after a Washington State Trooper, identified in the remarks as Trooper Gooding, died in the line of duty. He then turned to the flooding response, saying the state has recorded two levee breaches so far — in Tukwila and Pacific — and is treating the situation as "historic" and unpredictable. "The risk of another breach has most certainly come down in the past week," Ferguson said, while stressing that the threat remains real and weather and debris make conditions unpredictable.

Ferguson outlined immediate steps the state has taken: mobilizing roughly 100 National Guard members,…