Heavy rains caused flooding Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, in the Duvall/Carnation area.
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While much of the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday got a respite from rains that have pummeled the region for days, mudslides and flooding rivers triggered multiple rescues and claimed the life of a woman after her vehicle became submerged northwest of Portland, Oregon.
Washington transportation officials said interstate highway travel between Portland and Seattle would be closed until at least Thursday morning, as engineers needed to evaluate an unstable hillside after boulders fell onto the freeway north of Portland.
All roads in and out of the rural community of Vernonia, Oregon, were closed for several hours on Wednesday due to landslides, high water and bridge erosion, fire officials said.
Meteorologist Jon Bonk said Thursday that cities from Portland to the coast got two-tenths to a half-inch of rain overnight, and river levels should remain flat or recede.
Workers assess damage from a large fir tree that fell on a house overnight and killed an elderly woman in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency, directing the Washington Military Department to coordinate a response.
Her grandson declared the experience an adventure to remember.
In a rare event for the Pacific Northwest, the National Weather Service on Thursday said it received reports of a moderate-strength tornado in Battle Ground, Washington.
The National Weather Service was checking reports of a possible tornado touching down in southwest Washington on Thursday.
Officials say the tornado damaged 36 homes and two commercial buildings as well as snapping power poles, downing trees and blowing away fences in a path two miles long.
Weather has been blamed for the deaths of two people in OR, as storms triggered flooding there and in neighboring Washington State.
“It’s more than our county budget can handle”, Josi said, estimating that damage will top $1 million.
“Heavy rains and wind have required the evacuation of residences and mudslides and high water have severely damaged or blocked major roadways in these areas of the state”, she said in a statement.
More storms are coming, but nothing as strong as earlier this week. The major storms have shifted south into California.
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