Washington Emergency Management Division

06/02/2026

Update from state Labor & Industries on the situation in Longview.

05/29/2026

City officials say the water in Longview remains safe to consume. More details in the post.

𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝟓/𝟐𝟗 𝐀𝐓 𝟏𝟐:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌:
𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄
Longview's drinking water remains safe, and there continues to be no threat to the public water supply.

Public Works crews and the Diking District worked throughout the night and continue pumping and flushing water through the drainage system. pH levels in the ditch along Industrial Way near the City's well field have returned to normal and stabilized.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒
While significant progress has been made, there are still areas within the drainage network with elevated pH levels. Until monitoring confirms conditions have stabilized throughout the system, residents are asked to stay out of affected sloughs, dikes, and drainage ditches and keep pets away from these areas.

As a precaution, anyone who has come into contact with water in affected areas should rinse off thoroughly with clean water. Pet owners should also rinse their animals if they have been exposed. Anyone experiencing unusual symptoms should seek appropriate medical attention.

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐀𝐌 𝐈 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐆𝐆 𝐎𝐃𝐎𝐑?
Residents may continue to notice a rotten egg odor in some areas. This odor is caused by hydrogen sulfide gas that is released as the product becomes diluted during the flushing process. While the smell may be unpleasant, hydrogen sulfide can be detected by the human nose at extremely low concentrations. Environmental monitoring continues to show no abnormal air quality conditions, and the odor is an indication that dilution efforts are working.

Warning signs have been installed throughout affected areas.

Thank you for your patience, support, and cooperation as response efforts continue.

Over the past several days, we have witnessed the resilience, compassion, and generosity that define our community. Longview Strong.

05/29/2026

Looking to help those impacted by the disaster in Longview? This radio station has compiled a lot of ways to help:

The Cowlitz/Wahkiakum Central Labor Council and Longview/Kelso Building Trades have set up an account at Lower Columbia Longshoreman’s Federal Credit Union for donations to victims’ families. […]

05/29/2026

This is what it looks like for the Guard to access the chemical implosion site in Longview.

05/28/2026

Longview city officials say the drinking water remains safe in Longview and provides details on how that's the case.

05/28/2026

For Volcano Awareness Month, we want to help you distinguish the facts from the myths, and make sure you have the information you need to stay safe before, during, and after an eruption. In this video, we want to help you understand how volcanoes are monitored, and how you can get alerted. Visit mil.wa.gov/alerts to sign up for Volcano alerts.

Video Description: Washington Emergency Management Division’s Volcano Program Manager talks about the myth that volcanoes can erupt without warning, and why we can be certain our volcanoes in Washington won’t do that. The scientists at USGS Volcanoes, and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network work together to closely monitor our volcanoes, looking for signs of activity like earthquakes, gas, heat, and deformation on the volcanoes. Currently, all of our volcanoes are in a state of Normal, or Background activity, but if they progress to an Advisory, Watch, or Warning, these indicate that there is Magma within the volcano, which can cause unpredictable things to happen very quickly, like sudden explosions – that’s why it’s really important to stay out of volcanic areas that are closed – it’s for your safety. You can sign up for Volcano Notification Service from the U.S.G.S., to be alerted as soon as one of our volcanoes changes it’s alert level.

05/28/2026

911 is one of the most important public services available, but many people are still unsure about when to call, what information to provide or what happens after the call is made. Will you help us by taking this survey? https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/911-Survey

This short survey will help better understand public awareness and identify opportunities for education and outreach. Sponsored by our agency and the WA State 911 Public Education Sub-Committee. For more info, visit 911info.wa.gov

05/28/2026

Update on the National Guard presence in Longview.

Sgt. 1st Class Victor Aguilar, 420th Chemical Battalion, briefs Brig. Gen. Paul Sellars, commanding general, Washington Army
National Guard, on the decontamination process at the Nippon Plant Incident Site, Longview, Wash.

More than 40 Washington National Guard members and a team from the Washington State Guard are assisting first responders after an implosion of a chemical tank at Nippon Dynawave pulp and paper mill.

Guardsmen are providing decontamination and search and recovery support as well as air monitoring support to the Washington Department of Ecology.

05/27/2026

Small earthquake not that far from Gig Harbor. If you are in Kitsap, Pierce or Jefferson counties, you might have felt it. Let scientists know at this link: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/uw62251617/tellus

PRELIM Earthquake: M3, 23.1 km SSW from Bremerton, WA at 2026/05/27 15:48 PDT
http://www.pnsn.org/event/62251617
Did You Feel It?: https://zpr.io/EG2bmNmc6VBi

05/27/2026

Update on the situation in Longview and how our state emergency operations center is coordinating resources.