Historic floods hit Washington state, evacuation orders issued

Historic floods have hit Washington state, which is under a state of emergency, and evacuation orders have been issued as families are stranded and homes are being washed away.The Pacific Northwest state is expecting more flooding on Friday, and another storm system is expected to bring more rain starting Sunday, The Associated Press reported.
The flooding has been caused by heavy, relentless rain brought into the region by an atmospheric river – a plume of moisture that helps carry saturated air from the tropics to higher latitudes.
On Thursday, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson urged residents to follow evacuation instructions as yet another river neared record levels.
“I understand that many in our state have experienced significant floods in the past,” Ferguson posted on X. “However, we’re looking at a historic situation, expecting 2 feet higher than record flood level. If you have instructions to evacuate from your local authorities, please evacuate.”
An evacuation order was issued for about 78,000 residents of a major agricultural region north of Seattle, the floodplain of the Skagit River, which was expected to crest Friday morning.
Several bridges flooded, and some major roads that were inundated or washed out had no alternate routes and no estimated reopening time, including a large part of state Route 410. East of Seattle, a landslide blocked part of Interstate 90.
The cities of Sumas, Nooksack, and Everson, near the U.S.-Canada border, were evacuated after being inundated. The Sumas border crossing was closed, and Amtrak suspended trains between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Snohomish River rose nearly a foot higher than its record Thursday in the city of Snohomish, while the Skagit River reached just above its record Thursday night in Mount Vernon, according to the National Water Prediction Service.
Two families on Thursday were rescued by helicopters from the roofs of homes in Sumas that had been flooded by about 15 feet of water. The city’s fire station had 3 feet of water, according to Whatcom County Fire District 14 battalion chief Frank Cain JR.
Erosion from the floodwaters in Welcome caused at least two houses to collapse into the Nooksack River, he said. No one was inside the houses at the time.

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