Tens of thousands ordered to flee flooding after torrential rain in Pacific Northwest

MOUNT VERNON Wash AP Surging floodwaters turned farmland into vast pools washed out bridges and stranded people Thursday with evacuation orders issued for tens of thousands of Washington state residents and administration hoping levees prevent far worse damage The flooding levels we re looking at are potentially historic in nature so we just want to emphasize how serious the situation is Gov Bob Ferguson stated at a news briefing Thursday one day after declaring a statewide urgency About residents of a major agricultural region north of Seattle were ordered to evacuate the Skagit River s floodplain personnel declared Along the river in Mount Vernon teams knocked on doors in low-lying areas Thursday to inform them of evacuation notices city officials commented Further north near the U S -Canada perimeter Sumas Nooksack and Everson were evacuated after being inundated by flood waters while the edge journeying at Sumas was closed according to Whatcom County Sumas Mayor Bruce Bosch noted much of the city has been devastated by the high waters just four years after a similar flood I am deeply sorry that our society is facing this hardship again but I am relieved that the greater part residents evacuated when advised he disclosed in an online message Over customers in Washington were without electricity Thursday night according to PowerOutage us Dozens of roads were inundated or washed out across the state various of which had no detour or estimated time for reopening A mountainous section of U S was closed due to rocks trees and mud while a large section of state Track was closed because of water covering the roadway according to the state transportation department Thursday night California Gov Gavin Newsom sent fire and rescue crew members to help Washington Heavy rain and flooding washed out at least three bridges in the mountains of northwestern Montana where an crisis shelter opened in a church in the small town of Libby Flooding river breaks record The Snohomish River surged nearly a foot centimeters higher than its record in the picturesque city on Thursday while the Skagit River rose just shy of the previous record in the mountain town of Concrete Thursday morning according to the National Water Prediction Amenity Water stopped just short of getting inside Mariah Brosa s raised riverfront home in Concrete but the raging water still slapped debris against the home and totaled her fianc s work car she revealed I didn t think it would come this high she mentioned While updated projections are lower than previous estimates the river was still expected to crest above the record in Mount Vernon on Friday Flooding from the river has long plagued Mount Vernon the largest city in the county with a few residents Flooding in displaced hundreds of people A floodwall that protects downtown passed a major test in when the river crested near record levels Water was at the foot of the floodwall as of late Thursday morning Donovan disclosed In nearby Burlington representatives hoped dikes and other systems would protect the public from catastrophic flooding disclosed Michael Lumpkin with the police department Selected are worried that older levees could fail Business owners and residents stacked sandbags to protect buildings South of Mount Vernon Fir Island wildlife reserve and farming area will be closed Thursday leadership mentioned Agents respond to flooding Bureaucrats across Washington state in newest days have rescued people from cars and homes after an atmospheric river soaked the region Crews in Snohomish had rescued people and several pets since Wednesday night including residents from a home in the Tualco Valley as the nearby Skykomish river was rapidly rising according to the Snohomish Regional Fire Rescue And in a football field in Snoqualmie a herd of elk swam and waded through neck-high water East of Seattle residents along Issaquah Creek used water pumps as rushing floodwaters filled yards Thursday morning Yellow tape blocked off a hazardous area along the creek Issaquah resident Katy Bliss reported her home s foundation was safe for now but that a pond had formed in her backyard It s still scary walking around she reported Amtrak suspended trains between Seattle and Vancouver A landslide blocked part of Interstate east of Seattle with photos showing vehicles trapped by tree trunks branches mud and standing water Surroundings change has been linked to specific intense rainfall Scientists say that without specific evaluation they cannot directly link a single weather event to atmosphere change but in general it s responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme storms droughts floods and wildfires Another storm system is expected to bring more rain starting Sunday