Mount Vernon, Washington – MOUNT VERNON, Washington (AP) — Flood waters rise The hurricane turned farmland into vast ponds, washed away bridges and stranded people on Thursday, with evacuation orders for tens of thousands of Washington state residents and authorities hoping levees would prevent much worse damage.
“The flood levels that we’re looking at are likely to be historic in nature, so we just want to emphasize how dire the situation is,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said at a news conference Thursday, a day after declaring a statewide emergency.
About 78,000 residents of a major agricultural area north of Seattle were ordered to evacuate the Skagit River floodplain, officials said.
Along the river in Mount Vernon, crews knocked on doors in low-lying areas Thursday with evacuation notices, city authorities said.
Further north near the U.S.-Canada border, Sumas, Nooksack and Everson were evacuated after being inundated by floodwaters, while the border crossing at Sumas was closed, according to Whatcom County. Sumas Mayor Bruce Bush said most of the city had been “destroyed” by rising water levels just four years after a similar flood.
“I am deeply sorry that our community is facing this hardship once again, but I am relieved that most residents evacuated when they were notified,” he said in an online statement.
Power was cut off to more than 12,000 customers in Washington on Thursday night, according to the British Daily Mail. PowerOutage.us. Dozens of roads were flooded or washed out across the state, some of which had no diversions or estimated time to reopen.
A mountainous section of U.S. Route 2 was closed due to rocks, trees and mud, while much of State Route 410 was closed due to water covering the road, according to the state Department of Transportation.
On Thursday night, California Governor Gavin Newsom sent 150 fire and rescue crew members to assist Washington.
Heavy rains and flooding washed away at least three bridges in the mountains of northwestern Montana, where an emergency shelter was opened at a church in the small town of Libby.
The Snohomish River rose nearly a foot (30 cm) above the record set in the picturesque town on Thursday, while the Skagit River rose near the previous record in the mountain town of Concrete on Thursday morning, according to the National Water Forecast Service.
Maria Brosa said the water stopped before it reached Maria Brosa’s elevated riverfront home in Concrete, but the raging waters still battered the house with debris and destroyed her fiancé’s work car.
“I didn’t think it would get this high,” she said.
While the updated forecast is lower than previous estimates, the river is still expected to exceed the record set at Mount Vernon on Friday.
River floods have long ravaged Mount Vernon, the county’s largest city with a population of about 35,000. Floods in 2003 displaced hundreds of people.
The flood wall protecting downtown passed a major test in 2021, when the river peaked at near record levels. Donovan said water was at the foot of the flood wall as of late Thursday morning.
In nearby Burlington, officials had hoped levees and other systems would protect the community from catastrophic flooding, said Michael Lumpkin of the police department.
Some worry that old dams may fail.
Business owners and residents stacked sandbags to protect buildings.
The wildlife refuge and agricultural area on Fear Island south of Mount Vernon will be closed on Thursday, authorities said.
Authorities across Washington state in recent days have rescued people from cars and homes after accidents Atmospheric river The area is soaked.
Crews in Snohomish have rescued 33 people and several pets since Wednesday night, including 11 residents from a home in Tualco Valley where the nearby Skykomish River was rising rapidly, according to Snohomish Regional Fire. & saves. On a soccer field in Snoqualmie, a herd of elk swam and waded through neck-deep water.
East of Seattle, residents along Isaac Creek used water pumps as rushing floodwaters filled yards Thursday morning. Yellow tape closed off a hazardous area along the creek.
Issaquah resident Katie Place said her home’s foundation is secure for now, but a pond has formed in her backyard. “It’s still scary to walk around,” she said.
Amtrak has suspended trains between Seattle and Vancouver.
A landslide blocked part of Interstate 90 east of Seattle, and images showed vehicles trapped by logs, branches, mud and standing water.
Climate change has been linked For some heavy rain. Scientists say that without a specific study, they cannot directly link a single weather event to climate change, but in general it is responsible for more intense and more frequent severe storms, droughts, floods and wildfires.
Another storm system is expected to bring more rain starting Sunday.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the Skagit River is expected to crest above Mount Vernon’s record, not below.
___
Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. Associated Press writers Gene Johnson and Haley Golden in Seattle; Martha Belisle in Isaac, Washington; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Meade Grover in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed to this report.