Video: Town of Pacific still under water

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PACIFIC, Wash. - An intentional release from an upstream dam is keeping Pacific residents underwater and there's no telling when it might end.

The government released water from the dam and failed to notify residents. Many are angry, and some say they want answers.

"It would have been nice to have a little bit of warning," Rose Patterson said. "By the time we found out we could get sandbags it was like 10 o'clock at night. We couldn’t get out by that time."

The flooding surprised residents Thursday night, when water started bubbling up from storm drains.

Homes in Pacific now appear to sit in the middle of a lake.

Here's what happened: During heavy rain, the Army Corps of Engineers held water in the Mud Mountain Dam to prevent flooding of the entire Puyallup Valley. When water reached the top, the Corps released it Thursday night – and it flowed into the town of Pacific, surprising residents and filling neighborhoods with icy water.

Residents say they can't believe they weren't warned.

"So this is not an unusual amount or an excessive amount, it's not more than we have ever historically let out," said John Pell, spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers. "I just think there is so much water everywhere just from all the snow and it's just filled everywhere where normally water just wouldn't be."

KING

The flooding surprised Pacific residents Thursday night, when water started bubbling up from storm drains.

The deliberate release is expected at least through the weekend.  

"I know there's going to be a lot of anger. I'm expecting to hear a lot of that anger," Mayor Richard Hildreth said.

For John VanDengen, the losses were high. His vintage Volkswagens, lovingly restored, are now waterlogged.

"I'm not happy," he said. "I've lost vintage cars that are probably worth anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000 apiece."

The King County Executive and mayor of Pacific today delivered cleanup kits and say they didn't expect the released water to rise so high.

Pacific residents can meet with King County and FEMA at the community gym Tuesday at 5 p.m. to find out about government assistance.