The Kent City Council convened on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, to conduct a comprehensive debrief of the city’s response to the recent flood emergency.
City leaders detailed a massive cross-departmental effort that spanned from pre-storm preparations—such as filling 8,000 sandbags and coordinating jail evacuations—to active crisis management using drone surveillance and levee repairs.
Despite the $1.2 million in estimated costs, the session highlighted Kent’s logistical resilience and included the unanimous approval of a stormwater grant to strengthen the city’s infrastructure against future disasters.
Before The Flood
Staff members from different city departments presented on the ways the city worked to proactively limit flood damage in the days before the storm hit. Parks staffers filled over 8,000 sandbags. They also made preparations to shelter thousands of potentially displaced residents. The finance department processed hundreds of refunds when the 43rd annual Christmas Rush run was canceled due to flooding. Thirty-three inmates from the corrections facility were temporarily sent to Yakima County Department of Corrections, in case the water level got high enough that the jail needed to be evacuated.
During The Flood
Once the flood was in full force, the entire staff came together to assist in many ways. They worked in collaboration with other cities and agencies to repair levees and clear water from flooded roadways. There were no levees breached in Kent, but city staff helped to repair a failed levee that had contributed to area flooding. Staff took shifts on site, keeping 24-hour watch on levee stability and water levels during the flood. They utilized drones to view inaccessible areas.
Not only did staff work overtime on flooding relief efforts, they also managed to keep normal city services running as if there were not a crisis happening elsewhere in the city. Social media and “reverse 911” public alert services were proactively used to successfully keep the public informed of the situation. You can sign up for alerts from the city at this link. Parks staff said the biggest challenge was keeping people from going into flooded areas to take pictures, and putting themselves at risk.
Chief Rafael Padilla said there were no deaths in Kent related to the flooding. He did say that police had to rescue a few people who had foolishly entered unsafe areas and gotten stuck. When reports of possible looters came in, the police responded by immediately sending out drones to patrol flooded areas and enforce the evacuation. They successfully stopped people from taking advantage of the disaster for personal gain. Police also helped to direct drivers during the heavy traffic caused by evacuation.
The Costs
Financially, this flooding event has cost the city roughly $1.2 million, in things like staff overtime, damage to infrastructure, and equipment fees. Canceling the Christmas Rush lost the city $19,400 in revenue. It is possible that FEMA funding will not come through, and even if it does, it will not refund the entirety of the cost. It was mentioned that this is exactly why the city has a healthy reserve fund. In addition to the financial costs, several mature trees were lost during the heavy windstorm that accompanied the flood.
City staffers have also been working with business owners and private residents, before, during, and after the flooding. Many were hurt by everything from lost business to major property damage. The state has allocated several million dollars for flood relief. However, this money is divided throughout the entire state. It is estimated that those who are eligible for this money–meaning they experienced catastrophic loss–could receive around $1,000.
Those in need of assistance can fill out an application for state relief funds through the Salvation Army, by entering your zip code at the above link. In addition, more information can be found on the city’s Emergency Preparedness page.
Stormwater Grant Accepted
At the Committee of the Whole, the council voted unanimously to approve using a $337,015 Subregional Opportunity Fund grant to repair and amend a 66” diameter underground storm pipe that runs along 76th Ave S. This pipe handles stormwater runoff from downtown, and is currently very hard to access for repairs. The project will add access panels to facilitate easier maintenance.
