DUVALL, Wash. - Karen Rutledge works to remove the last of what was nearly six feet of mud and water in her basement. It was the second serious flood in less than three months.

Video: Clean-up goes on in E. King County

Larger screen

“I just did this in November,” she said. “It's devastating, post-traumatic stress syndrome. No kidding.”

But it's nothing compared to what happened to her neighbors next door - an 85-year-old cancer patient and his grandchildren. Their two homes were destroyed, the foundations washed away:

The homes buckled when a 90-foot section of Highway 202 collapsed. Crews are busy trying to repair the road, and they say it will be a couple of days before it reopens.

Up the road in Duvall, dozens of people are coming together to help one another.

Jane Ellison lives in Lake Forest Park but connected with volunteers on her Facebook page and decided to help.

“One for all and all for one, that's definitely the way it has to be. If we don't have that kind of mindset we're in trouble,” she said.

KING

A boy helps with clean-up in East King County.

This is day two of what will take weeks to clean up.

Tim Honchen stands chest deep in trash and wonders about his future here.

“It's beautiful out here but these floods keep happening more and more often and they keep getting worse,” he said.

And despite the gloom that hangs over the Snoqualmie River Valley like a cold, wet sweater, there is comfort in knowing that no matter how heavy the load, neighbors are there to take care of each other.

“Whether we really are family or not - we are. We all suffer the same,” said Marilyn Honchen.

Three rivers at flood stage

Three rivers in Washington State remained at flood stage in Washington state Sunday as state officials began to assess the damage from last week's floods, mudslides and avalanches that caused major damage.

Rob Harper, a spokesman for the state division of Emergency Management, said some National Guard troops remained deployed at traffic control points in Lewis County, which was one of the state's hardest hit counties by flooding.

The rivers still at flood stage Sunday were the Yakima River at Kiona in Benton County, the Cedar River in the Renton area and the Chehalis River at Porter in Thurston County.

The Chehalis River was expected to drop below flood stage at 4 p.m. Sunday, while the Kiona River was supposed to go below flood stage at 4 a.m. Monday and the Cedar River at midday Monday.

As they start to assess the damage from this week's floods, mudslides and avalanches, Washington state officials said it could have been worse.

No deaths or serious injuries have been reported and the rivers were going down, said Linda Crerar, a spokeswoman for the state Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray.

Rescue operations have reached all but the most remote areas, so state officials were nearly certain that no one had been killed or seriously injured in this week's flooding.

"We had lots of opportunities with the flooding on the highways and the mudslides and the snowmelts ... for things to happen and for people to get hurt," Crerar said.

She credited the common sense of Washington's citizens: People are paying more attention when evacuation and other warnings are issued.

The state of Washington and its citizens were not as lucky concerning property damage.

Gov. Chris Gregoire gave what she called a very preliminary estimate for damage to roads and state property of $125 million. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced $2 million in federal aid, with more to come after the damage assessment is completed.

No estimate has been made concerning personal property damage, but officials said the floods were devasting to many.

"The personal and financial losses flood victims suffered are extensive," said King County Executive Ron Sims in a statement, adding that "No words can effectively ease the pain that so many people feel now."

Chehalis River

Along Interstate 5, flooding was not as bad as some predicted.

Thirteen months ago, about a mile of the state's major north-south freeway was under up to 10 feet of water in low-lying areas. This year, flooding was more scattered and the deepest water measured about 3 feet, said Don Wagner, regional administrator for the state Department of Transportation.

Wagner said one dike on the Chehalis River was about an inch away from being overwhelmed when the river crested late Thursday.

"Another inch of water and we could have had a different story," he told The News Tribune of Tacoma.

On Saturday, the governor expanded the state's emergency declaration issued Dec. 24, after record snow fell across the state, to include this week's flooding.

The expansion gives local governments another opportunity to apply for federal money to repair roads, government buildings and other property.

"I want to thank Washington residents for their continued neighbor-to-neighbor efforts to support those around them," Gregoire said in a statement. "We can all be proud of how well we come together in the face of adversity."

Gregoire said the Federal Emergency Management Agency also approved Washington state's request for an extension of time to file for federal reimbursement of extraordinary snow removal costs.

Residents and businesses have been asked to report storm and flooding damage to their local emergency management agency.

Northwest Response

KING 5 has launched Northwest Response to help those devastated by the floods. The money raised will go to the American Red Cross for storm victim relief. Cash donations can be made at any US Bank location in Western Washington or through KING5.com