Washington gov. declares weather emergency

KING-TV, Seattle

Show Caption Hide Caption Washington governor issues state emergency after days of flooding Washington is under a state of emergency as towns try to recover from days of devastating rainfall, flooding, and landslides.

SEATTLE — Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in Washington on Wednesday after days of heavy rain caused rivers to rise, flooding and landslides across the western part of the state. Multiple rivers remained under a flood warning.

The heavy rain and flooding have claimed the lives of two people in Oregon.

A 60-year-old southeast Portland woman died early Wednesday morning after a tree fell onto her house. The woman was in bed sleeping when the 30-inch-diameter tree fell and nearly sheared the house in two. The woman's husband and brother, who were also in the house, were not hurt.

One person drowned and another was rescued after they drove their car into high water near Clatskanie, Ore.

A man pulled himself out of the vehicle as it sank and called for help. A neighbor saw him standing on the car and flagged down officials, who were able to rescue him. A water rescue crew towed the vehicle, which was submerged in about 12 feet of water, out.

Several sections of Oregon highways in Clatsop, Tillamook, Marion, Yamhill and Lincoln counties were closed Tuesday due to high water.

While the heavy rains have eased up, rivers are still raging across the Northwest and safety is a top concern as water flows down mountains into already swollen rivers.

All Northbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed near Woodland, Wash., after a landslide covered the road Wednesday afternoon.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rains, sent debris and rocks across the road at about 3:30 p.m. Traffic was backed up for miles through the rush hour.

Most drivers were told to turn around, as there was no nearby alternate route.

Engineers were waiting until daylight Thursday to evaluate the stability of the hillside, according to Bart Treece of the Washington Department of Transportation.

Some of the most severe flooding is happening in Cowlitz, Lewis and Snohomish counties. Some people had to be rescued from the rising waters and some were advised to evacuate their homes.

Cowlitz County and each of its cities have declared an emergency, with other counties assessing the damage. Inslee’s proclamation can be used to activate the Washington National Guard, if needed, and serve as an initial step to request federal resources.

Severe flooding in Chehalis and Centralia flooded neighborhoods, shut down roads and caused dozens of residents to evacuate. Log jams and record rainfall sent deputies into remote parts of the county to rescue trapped families.

Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza says it's the worst flooding his county has seen since 2007.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Office rescued seven people from the Puyallup River near State Route 512 Wednesday. Police say they were transients who normally sleep on along the river, but they were unable to leave due to the rising waters. An RV park was also evacuated as floodwaters were expected to continue rising.

The mayor of Hamilton in Skagit County was asking for voluntary evacuations to high ground with the Skagit River expected to crest 10 feet above flood stage. An elderly care center in McKenna was preparing for possible evacuations because of concerns engineers may have to release more water than normal from the Alder Dam on the Nisqually River.

U.S. Highway 2 at Tumwater Canyon near Leavenworth was closed due to multiple rock and mud slides. U.S. Highway 12 at White Pass between Randle and Naches was also closed after water washed out part of the roadway. Several other mudslides were reported, including one in Burien that severely damaged two homes. Nearby homes remain evacuated.

High winds also knocked out power to thousands of residents. One woman in Graham was nearly killed after winds toppled a 120-ft. tree near her home. Puget Sound Energy, the largest electrical utility in western Washington, has restored power to about 60,000 customers and reported fewer than 17,000 power outages as of 4:45 p.m. PT Wednesday. Other utilities also reported outages.

A flood watch is in effect for western Washington and flood warnings were in effect for multiple rivers as of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, including the Snohomish River near Monroe and Snohomish, the Snoqualmie River near the falls and Carnation, the Cedar River in Renton, and the Green River near Auburn.

While the heavy rain subsided Wednesday night, another storm is headed for the region Thursday morning.

KING-TV Chief Meteorologist Jeff Renner expects it to remain fairly dry overnight. By 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. the next system moves into central Puget Sound, bringing with it more rain for a wet morning commute. But it won't be a heavy downpour as Tuesday.

"How much are we going to see? Nothing like we've seen yesterday or the day before," said Renner. "Over much of the Puget Sound area, a couple tenths of an inch of rain and heavier rainfall over the mountains; even there we're talking 1-2 inches."

Winds will begin to pick up in the early morning hours in the central Puget Sound area, the foothills and south of Olympia. Come 8 a.m., those winds will fade and winds increase to the north of Everett, the San Juan Islands and along the coast. Sustained winds will range between 10-35 mph with higher gusts around 40 mph. Winds will ease in the afternoon. Latest forecast

Snow levels in the mountains will drop to 2,500-3,500 feet during the day Thursday into Thursday night. Renner expects 3-12 inches of snow and rain/snow mix in the higher passes.

Sea-Tac Airport, where the official weather for Seattle is recorded, picked up 2.13 inches of rain Tuesday, beating the old Dec. 8 record of 1.61 inches. Through the first eight days of December, Sea-Tac has received triple the amount of rain it normally receives for the last month of the year. Sea-Tac also had a record high of 60 degrees Tuesday.

Contributing: KGW-TV, Portland, Ore.