Highway 2 Discussion with Dave Somers and Patsy Cudaback
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and City of Monroe Mayor Patsy Cudaback discuss the importance of Highway 2 for the communities that live along its majestic contours.
Tell us about your community
Mayor Cudaback: We have a small community, and we have several services. People know each other. You walk into the local Safeway and people know your name. That connection is so important.
We also have accessibility to outdoor recreation. To water. To mountains. It's just a perfect location. We have in-and-out routes on US 2, SR 522, and SR 203. It's a wonderful place to raise a family. It’s a community where people support each other. I think the last month of flooding has been a key indicator of how much this community comes together, supports each other.
I love living here. I can't see myself living anywhere else, and I hope people come to visit Monroe.
Executive Somers: I live outside of Monroe, so this is where I shop, where I dine. It's a wonderful community. Monroe is home to the Evergreen Fairgrounds, which is a county facility with activities almost every weekend.
This part of the world is just gorgeous. It's beautiful. It's really striking how beautiful and wonderful the nature is here. Our small towns too. They’re all different and they're all amazing. There are lots of opportunities here.
Tell us about the flooding in your communities. What did you see or experience?
Mayor Cudaback: The flooding had some serious impacts. It’s some of the worst flooding that I've seen here in the last 25 years.
The Skykomish River flooded. An apartment building flooded up to four feet. We also had the Woods Creek flood. Sky River Park and Al Borland Park were both closed because of significant flooding, and the water levels were high.
We also had extreme regional closures. Sultan and Snohomish along Highway 2 got hit hard with flooding. This made it tough to get in and out of Monroe in both directions on the highway, and it impacted travel and accessibility.
Executive Somers: Highway 2 was washed out. Cities like Monroe, Snohomish, Sultan, Gold Bar, and others on the Cascade Loop were impacted. These communities depend on people traveling to ski areas and over to Leavenworth. It’s really a vital part of these economies and it was shut down.
It was a critical time for small businesses right before the holiday season. The flooding happened right before Christmas. So, when the highway closed, it impacted people shopping for the holiday season, along with routine purchases. So that had a big impact on our small businesses.
How have your communities responded to the flooding?
Executive Somers: In crisis, Snohomish County stands up an Emergency Operation Center that's countywide. We are grateful that some communities like Monroe have their own.
The role of our EOC is to coordinate across the whole county. We provide information, get resources to places that are in need. We're always communicating with the cities and their EOCs. We work well together and I think the county and the cities do a wonderful job supporting each other and our residents. I think it worked well during the flooding, and we'll continue to work in strengthening our communities.
The state got Highway 2 open very quickly. We thought it would be the end of February. It’s obviously good news for all the communities. One thing I'm most proud of about Snohomish County is our collaboration and our partnerships.
Mayor Cudaback: I think people were on edge and nervous. We didn’t know what was going to happen next. I'm really proud of our community. We responded really well. We all activated during the peak flooding time. We activated the Emergency Operation Center and had a coordinated response effort from our police, fire district, healthcare, and business communities.
We notified business owners and the community through the city’s social media and news flashes. We had city staff monitoring the flooding 24 hours a day so they could ensure people knew what was happening in real time. The previous mayor (Geoffrey Thomas) also declared a state of emergency for the city, which allowed us to launch recovery resources around the community.
We had a webpage that compiled tons of resources, and we directed people there to find the right information for their situation. City council did a great job in monitoring the situation. We were also able to waive building permit fees so people could make improvements to their structures quickly.
What do you expect to see happening in the communities along Highway 2 in the coming months?
Executive Somers: The first step right now is assessing the damage. Getting estimates of the economic costs for repairs. That information gets submitted to the state, and the state will make a request of the federal government for recovery assistance.
Regardless of whether we get federal help, the state is helping with some money. They're obviously working on their road system. We're working on our road system, getting it patched up. We are identifying the weak spots and preparing for the future by making our roads more flood resilient.
One important thing to add is we really want people to come out to Monroe and the Sky Valley. It’s important to understand that supporting the small businesses here puts that money into the community.
We want visitors and people in Snohomish County to know that cities like Monroe are open for business.
Mayor Cudaback: With Highway 2 being open earlier than expected, we want people to come back. We want people to know Monroe is not just a place to pass through, but a destination.
The Sky Valley is open and ready for visitors like you. To learn more, visit discoversnohomishcounty.com/highway2campaign
