Wahkiakum County Department of Emergency Management

04/22/2026

**U.S. Small Business Administration - Disaster Recovery Event - This Friday**

Did your Business or Non-Profit suffer damages during the December 2025 severe storms? The U.S. Small Business Administration will be at the Elochoman Slough Marina on Friday, April 24th from 10am-4pm to assist you with applying for disaster assistance. Visit them in person at the Marina on Friday or visit sba.gov/disaster to learn more. Applications are due April 27th!

03/02/2026

***LOW INTEREST LOANS AVAILABLE FROM DECEMBER 2025 WINTER STORMS***

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to Washington businesses, private nonprofits and residents to offset physical and economic losses from the 2025 Severe Winter Storms occurring Dec. 5 — 22, 2025. See details in attached document.

02/19/2026

***WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST THURSDAY*** (Willapa Hills/Coast Range including Wahkiakum County)

* WHAT...Snow. Additional snow accumulations of 1 to 6 inches, with the lowest amounts between 500-1000 feet in elevation and the highest amounts above 1000-1500 feet in elevation. (Like the KM and Beaver Creek area, and also the higher elevations of the county for those that work in the forestry industry.)

* WHERE...Foothills of the Northern and Central Oregon Cascades, North and Central Coast Range Mountains of Oregon, North Oregon Coast Range Lowlands, Portland West Hills and Chehalem Mountain, Willapa Hills, and South Washington Cascade Foothills.

* WHEN...Until noon PST Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...A renewed band of snow showers is expected to move over the Coast Range between 6pm PST Wednesday and 12am PST Thursday. Some of these showers may be heavy.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Have a winter emergency driving kit readily available. Common items to include: flashlight, batteries, blankets, a shovel, water,
non-perishable food items, tire chains, etc.

Be aware that walking surfaces may be slick. Walk with extra care.

For the latest road conditions and chain restrictions in Oregon,
call 5 1 1, or visit: www.tripcheck.com.

For the latest road conditions and chain restrictions in Washington,
visit: wsdot.com/travel/real-time/map

02/18/2026

***More snow showers headed to our area with an increased chance tonight into tomorrow morning for snow on the valley floor in Wahkiakum County.***

WCDEM attended the high impact weather briefing this morning with US National Weather Service Portland Oregon and the most likely track for the Low Pressure system creating this winter weather is now headed toward the Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington region.

Most likely travel impacts will continue to be in areas of higher elevation like KM mountain on SR-4 and the Beaver Creek area in Cathlamet, however, sticking snow may be more wide-spread this evening than it has been the last several days.

Stay up to date on weather forecasts, road conditions, and emergency information with the following links:

Wahkiakum County Road Closure List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TLybaxP08qtBDbOZJFo8B5n71zi7KVP4V2F96mLTlEQ/edit?pli=1&gid=0 =0
NWS Portland Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NWSPortland
WSDOT Road Conditions: https://wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/
NWS Portland Local Weather Forecast: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=46.20034000000004&lon=-123.38063499999998

❄️ 2/18 UPDATE: The surface low is now forecast to move towards the north Oregon coast, favoring little to no snow accumulation below 500 feet in the Willamette Valley, Portland metro and at the coast. This is due to southerly winds maintaining above freezing temperatures. However, elevations above 500 feet are expected to see accumulating snow with travel impacts. One exception for elevations below 500 feet: a dusting to one inch of wet snow is still possible in localized areas where heavy showers materialize, however travel impacts would likely be limited and short-lived. Areas most favored to see at least some accumulating snow, including elevations below 500 ft, include: Longview/Kelso, Ridgefield, Scappoose, St. Helens, Banks, Timber, West Hills of Portland, and the Chehalem Mountains. Stay tuned for updates!

01/27/2026

***UTILITY WORK ON SR-409 1/27-1/30***

Although construction zones for utility work, road work, etc., are a common occurrence on our State Highways, we thought this would be a good opportunity to remind folks about where you can go to access additional state road closure information. The "WSDOT mobile app" and "Real-time travel map website" are great places to start.

WSDOT mobile app: wsdot.wa.gov/travel/mobile-app-and-social-media
Real-time travel map: wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/

Information about the road work is below:

****************************************************
Expect delays on SR 409 in Wahkiakum County for utility work Jan. 27-30

CATHLAMET – Travelers who use State Route 409 in Wahkiakum County should plan for delays.

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 27, the Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will work with Charter Communications to restore underground fiber optic cable lines near Cathlamet.

Fiber optic cables bring high-speed internet and data to local homes and businesses. When buried underground, the cables are better protected from bad weather, helping keep everyone connected.

What to expect
Tuesday, Jan. 27 through Friday. Jan. 30:

Travelers along northbound SR 409 between East/West Sunny Sands Road at milepost 0.0 and Tate Road at milepost 0.5 will take turns moving through a single lane with flaggers, daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Travelers are reminded to slow down, stay focused and expect delays through the work zone.

The map provides traffic flow, travel alerts, cameras, weather conditions, mountain pass reports, rest areas and commercial vehicle restrictions.

01/22/2026

The ongoing cold trend will continue through this weekend. Another round of Cold Weather Advisories are in effect tonight through tomorrow morning for areas highlighted in blue on the map displayed here. These areas can expect wind chill temperatures down to 20 degrees at times.

01/16/2026

Do you know the alternate route when SR 4 gets shut down? Keep this alternate route information on hand in case of emergencies such as fires, crashes, floods, or fallen trees or rocks.

The detour route map and turn instructions are available on the Wahkiakum County website here: https://www.co.wahkiakum.wa.us/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=3407
Save this PDF to your phone or keep the printout in your vehicle in case of emergency road conditions.

Westbound Directions (to Cathlamet from Longview)
1. About 3 miles after Stella, turn RIGHT off East SR-4 onto Mill Creek Rd (there’s a large gravel parking lot on your right as you turn). Head NORTH.
2. Turn LEFT onto Spruce Creek Rd and go WEST for 0.5 mile.
3. Turn RIGHT onto Cathlamet Rd and go NORTH/WEST for 8.6 miles.
4. Turn LEFT onto Elochoman Valley Rd and go SOUTH for 3.6 miles.
5. Turn LEFT onto SR-4 and go EAST toward Cathlamet for 0.7 miles.
6. Arrive in Cathlamet.

View route info on Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xKUobDgT8w4RmFY86
(Google Maps links will not start turn-by-turn navigation at the beginning of the route, but you can open them to view the route on your phone and follow the written directions while using the map to see your live location along the way.)


Eastbound Directions (to Longview from Cathlamet)
1. From Main St & SR-4, turn LEFT / NORTHWEST onto SR-4 and go 0.7 mile.
2. Turn RIGHT onto Elochoman Valley Rd and go NORTH for 3.6 miles.
3. Turn RIGHT onto Beaver Creek Rd and go SOUTHEAST for 8.6 miles.
4. Turn LEFT onto Spruce Creek Rd and go EAST for 0.5 miles.
5. Turn RIGHT onto Mill Creek Rd and go SOUTH for 1 miles.
6. Turn LEFT onto East SR-4 (“Ocean Beach Highway”) toward Longview.

View route info on Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5htcNBhjspcMpduu9
(Google Maps links will not start turn-by-turn navigation at the beginning of the route, but you can open them to view the route on your phone and follow the written directions while using the map to see your live location along the way.)

01/14/2026

All counties and Public Safety Answering Points in the state of Washington can now accept Text-to-911, thanks to our Next Generation 911 network.“The standard for Text-to-911 in Washington and nationally is: ‘Call if you can, text if you can’t,’ said Adam Wasserman, State 911 Coordinator. .....

01/10/2026

Good afternoon, Wahkiakum County!

There is some weather reporting on Facebook which doesn’t appear to be accurate, so we wanted to address that. There are reports that an “Atmospheric River” is set to impact Western Washington this weekend into next week, with “moderate to high precipitation”, but that isn’t the case according to the National Weather Service and area meteorologists.

What we can expect this weekend, is periods of light rain which may accumulate to totals of one tenth to a quarter of an inch of precipitation daily over the weekend.

It’s always good to be prepared though! Make sure you’re “2-Weeks Ready!”

Visit mil.wa.gov/preparedness to learn more.

12/25/2025

*** FLOOD DAMAGE REPORTING ***

Did your property suffer damage during the flooding event this month or do you need other assistance? If so, please check out the State’s Flood Recovery website: floodrecovery.wa.gov

If you have damage to report, please email: [email protected] or follow the link on the Washington State Flood Recovery website under “Wahkiakum County”.