Cockreham Island is under a voluntary evacuation order as the Skagit River approaches flood stage.

Residents are being asked to leave the mostly agricultural community between Lyman and Hamilton because roads on the island are deteriorating due to heavy rains. Also, the risk of mudslides on nearby highways could make evacuation more difficult later, said Jim Martin, public information officer for the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management.

The Skagit 911 Center is calling Cockreham residents to inform them of the evacuation order, Martin said. The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office cannot get to the community to assist with the evacuation, Sheriff Rick Grimstead said.

“We’re calling people from our office to advise them to leave. Hopefully they can get a tractor to get out. A patrol car can’t get through there,” Grimstead said.

The upriver end of the levee that protects Cockreham Island may be damaged, Skagit County Assistant Public Works Director Jeff Miller said.

“It’s really hard to tell for certain, but the general feeling is there’s the potential there for additional scouring because the armoring is not there,” Miller said. “It’s really hard to tell if it would happen or not.”

Cockreham residents are officially being directed to a Red Cross shelter in Concrete. However, Highway 20 west of Concrete is closed due to standing water. Residents are being asked to seek high ground for now, Miller said.

“For the next couple hours we want to get them out of the area, then we can get them to a shelter once the waters slow down a little bit,” Miller said.

The county and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are unable to do emergency repair work on the Cockreham levee because they can’t get to it, Miller said.

The river is expected to crest near Concrete at 32.1 feet Thursday morning, which would be a moderate flood. The river level at 3:22 p.m. was 23.3 feet near Concrete.