KENT - Several residents evacuated out of their homes after their street was flooded from the ice jam are still not able to return home.
Mike Petrone, the Kent Ambulance Chief, said some people will still be out of their homes Sunday night as well. Kent officials and DOT are continuing to monitor the river and the ice, as they have concerns about more ice jams. The town's shelter is still open.
It was around 9 a.m. Saturday when fire officials said they noticed flooding on campus at Kent School. Cars were underwater and with how cold Saturday night was, the water froze over and created a glaze of ice around the school.
By 2 p.m., the flooding was spread throughout the town. Water was seen rising halfway up people's homes and a truck was practically sinking underneath.
Route 7 was one of the areas where it was majorly flooded and it continues to be depending on the direction of the ice jam.
Captain Timothy Limbos with the Kent Volunteer Fire Department said six people had to be evacuated by boat. Many of those people were brought to the Kent Senior Center where they have opened up their doors for residents who need a place to stay.
Despite the chaos, there have been no injuries or power outages so far. However, the captain said that may change depending on the ice dam.
"It's been a very cold winter this year, so the ice is pretty thick. It's about eight to nine inches thick at this time. The heavy rainfall from last night, just a lot of water the river is trying to handle with the river being frozen over is unable to handle it," said Captain Limbos.
He also added, "It was very chaotic. The water was just rising so quickly. You could be standing right where yo are and 30 seconds later, your feet are covered with water."
Crews wrapped up Saturday evening. They are expected to be back out in various areas in the morning to reassess whether residents will be allowed back into their homes or not.
FOX61 returned to the area Sunday morning; look for the latest updates on the FOX61 Morning News, in the FOX61 app, and here on FOX61.com