State of Emergency Declared in Chelan County

Chelan County is under a state of emergency after Thursday's record-breaking snowfall.

A resolution declaring a disaster has been signed by Commissioner Kevin Overbay, the chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, and will be signed on Monday during a regular meeting by Commissioners Bob Bugert and Tiffany Gering.

A statement from the county noted that Public Works crews reported about 2 feet of snow in the Wenatchee area and as much as 4 feet in the county's higher elevations around Lake Wenatchee.

The emergency declaration lets commissioners use local resources without going through the government bidding process for goods and services, and is typically required for most state and federal assistance funding.

The record snowfall took place within a 24-hour period.

The county is reporting that many of its roads are under hazardous conditions, while snow slides have been blocking roadways near Cashmere, Chelan and Entiat (Mission Creek and Olalla Canyon roads near Cashmere; Union Valley Road near Chelan; and on Mills Canyon and Entiat River roads near Entiat).