WESTERN WASHINGTON’S HISTORIC FLOODS

February 10th, 2026

A local, critical analysis of the flood’s toll, relief effort, and what should come next.

In early December, those of our members in Western Washington (Pacific Northwest) experienced the largest flood levels in State history that left over 100,000 people displaced, with Skagit, Whatcom, Snohomish, and King Counties being some of the hardest hit.

The following report is a report, knowledge offering, and analysis grounded in locallyled’s members lived experiences in flood-affected communities, the perspectives of their neighbors, and collective knowledge of their communities. This report, the analysis, and recommendations for changes it makes will also be accompanied by ethical local reporting, by the experiences from tribal nations, of homeowners and renters, organizers, respected environmental scholarship, perspective and public statements of local city/county/state officials and first responders, and is written in the intent to imagine a system that protects life, dignity, and community sovereignty rather than reproducing harm. A system that is people-powered, accountable, conscious of where power is held, where it should be ceded, and that plays to the strengths of the forests, rivers, and lowlands that can protect us from harm, if we allow them to. Read the full report below.

Full Report: