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Washington Weather News: Continuous rain has caused severe floods in Washington. 78 thousand people are being evacuated from the floodplain of the Skagit River. Many highways have caved in, trains have stopped, there is no electricity in thousands of houses. Governor Ferguson warned that the coming days could prove to be ‘deadly and historic’.
The torrential rains in Washington state of America for several consecutive days have made the situation extremely dangerous. The water level of rivers has risen rapidly, mud subsidence has occurred at many places, highways have been closed and thousands of people are trapped in their homes. Meanwhile, state Governor Bob Ferguson has warned that the coming days could prove to be ‘a threat to people’s lives’. The Governor said that the level of flood being seen at this time could be ‘historic’. He declared emergency in the entire state on Wednesday and said that the situation is ‘extremely uncertain’.
Don’t merge Washington with America’s capital Washington DC. Washington state of America is on the west coast of the country. In Skagit County, an important agricultural region of Washington, the administration has ordered the evacuation of the entire floodplain of the Skagit River. About 78,000 people live here. Officials say if the river crosses record levels, ‘catastrophic floods’ are certain. Some people have already left their homes. Firefighters rescued many people from homes trapped in water in the city of Sumas, near the Canadian border.
6 inches of rain fell in 24 hours
Speaking to CBS News, 7-year-old Jocelyn Rosas tearfully said her home was submerged in water at a mobile home park. The girl said, ‘I only have my pajamas.’ Her father Jose Rosas told that his wife is battling cancer, and he had shifted here two months ago to save money for her treatment. He said with a broken heart, ‘Now our home is gone.’ In many areas the rain was so heavy that the rivers were in spate. Up to 6 inches of rain was recorded in 24 hours in parts of the Cascade Mountains.
What troubles happened?
A landslide on Interstate 90 buried the road under mud and trees. US-2 Highway also had to be closed due to stones and debris. Amtrak train service between Seattle and Vancouver was halted and more than 11,000 homes lost power. The Skykomish River near Seattle reached 24 feet. This is the highest level since 2006. The Skagit River could reach 39 feet Friday morning, which is considered ‘record flooding’. People are being evacuated from door to door in the city of Mount Vernon. The administration here fears that the strong flow of the river may even cross the floodwall built in 2018.
Why is the problem still not over?
The Meteorological Department has warned that the rain that is falling now is an ‘atmospheric river’ i.e. a huge strip of moisture rising from the sea, which is falling directly on Washington. A new storm system is going to come again from Sunday.
