PACIFIC, Wash. — A levee on the White River failed early Tuesday, prompting Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation notices near Pacific.

Those living near 3rd Avenue Southeast and Butte Road need to evacuate. Many people were woken up by first responders, who were dispatched to alert residents that they needed to leave. 

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning around 1:35 a.m. after reporting a levee breach on the White River in the city of Pacific.

The agency said the levee, a HESCO barrier, failed, prompting the alert. HESCOs are soil-filled barriers designed to protect against flooding. City crews are working on securing more barriers to restore the levee. 

The levee failure affects about 2,159 people, according to the National Weather Service. Officials urged anyone in the highlighted flash flood warning area to evacuate for safety.

This marked the second Flash Flood Warning in as many days after the Green River breached a levee in Tukwila on Monday. Those evacuation orders were lifted on Monday night. 

Several apartment complexes in the area are impacted by the warning on Tuesday. 

“I opened my window, looked out – the parking lot is underwater over the tires of the pickup truck,” one resident said. That resident called 911, who dispatched a boat to get them out of the parking lot and as close to dry land as possible. 

Residents still had to walk through ankle-deep water before they reached the evacuation center. 

The City of Pacific has opened the Senior Center at 100 3rd Ave SE to evacuees. Other city buildings, like City Hall, are open as warming centers for the time being. 

In a late afternoon update Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers announced a report of “water released at Mud Mountain Dam,” prompting a reduction of outflows to facilitate repairs. 

“We are tracking the situation at Pacific as it relates to outflows from Mud Mountain Dam,” said Travis Ball, Seattle District chief of hydraulic and construction engineering. “After being notified of the breach, we reduced outflows at Mud Mountain Dam to help support repair efforts and response actions. That reduced outflow will remain in place until we receive confirmation from our ground crews and emergency management partners that conditions are safe to resume normal flood operations.”

About 220 homes have been directly impacted, with several hundred people needing accommodations as flooding overwhelmed local resources, Pacific Mayor Vic Kave said. As a small city, Pacific has relied heavily on regional partners, with nearly every neighboring city offering assistance. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature kicked our butts last night,” Kave said.

Kave said flooding worsened after the White River, a man-made channel protected by levees, exceeded its limited capacity due to years of sediment buildup and increased flows from upstream dam releases. The city park, which now sits below river level, began acting as a basin for floodwaters, leading to a breach early Tuesday morning, causing damage comparable to the 2009 flood.

Emergency crews moved quickly to reinforce the levee and plug the breach, which helped bring water levels down, Kave said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing river flows, and a longer-term plan to reinforce the structure is expected to begin Wednesday, weather permitting, as another storm system moves into the area.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.