Christmas Eve in the River Parishes means bonfires on the levee, an old tradition meant to guide “Papa Noël” along the Mississippi River. The event draws crowds from across the region and beyond. Each year, the group Blood, Sweat and Bonfires constructs massive wooden sculptures on the St. John Parish levee before they're set ablaze.

A levee failure has created an unlikely split at a single apartment complex — families opening presents upstairs while those below face total loss.

The evacuation order was sent to about 1,100 homes and businesses east of the Green River in parts of Kent, Renton and Tukwila.

A levee about 10 miles south of Seattle failed on Monday, December 15, prompting evacuation alerts for residents in Tukwila, Renton, and Kent, Washington.Footage from the King County Sheriff’s Office’s Guardian One helicopter shows workers repairing the breach along the Green River in Tukwila on Monday.

More than 46,000 people, two schools, and one hospital were within the evacuation order area after a levee failed near Seattle.

A driver, believed to be 33-year-old man, was found inside a completely submerged vehicle in Snohomish County and pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials knew for years that the Desimone levee needed repairs, but a partnership between the federal government and the county broke down, upending a fix.

Record-breaking flooding has led to continuous monitoring of critical levees in the area, including the White, Green, and Cedar River levees.