Hundreds Flee Floods as Storms Pound Northwest

Floodwaters up to 4 feet deep breached a dike today and combined with mudslides to force hundreds from their homes in Washington. Oregon’s governor declared emergencies in two counties where roads were under 6 feet of water.

“The dike has been breached and they couldn’t hold it back with sandbags,” Fire Chief Chuck Newbury said in Centralia, Wash., where the Skookumchuck River overflowed.

In southern Washington, Interstate 5, the region’s major north-south route, was closed because of flooding brought on by the third Pacific storm in four days. The main Amtrak and Burlington Northern railroad line was washed out.

Newbury said 400 people were evacuated in Centralia early today as water rose to 3 to 4 feet deep in the town of 11,000 people, 80 miles southwest of Seattle. National Guardsmen helped set up shelters at churches.

A firefighter, Tim Evans, said a line of sandbags was laid out late Tuesday by a motel, “but the river blew it out.” Firefighters were called to the motel “and the water was just coming in like the tide,” he said.

Bob Berg, Lewis County public works director, guessed that 1,000 people countywide were out of their homes.

Flood warnings were in effect today in Seattle and other cities along Puget Sound and eight major rivers in Washington. The National Weather Service predicted major damage this afternoon along the Chehalis River in the southwestern part of the state.

Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt declared an emergency in Clatsop and Tillamook counties in the northwest corner of the state.

Flooding in the southern part of Clatsop County was the worst in decades, with water 6 feet deep on some roads, said Sheriff John Raichl.

All rivers in Tillamook County were over their banks, said Paul Levesque, the county’s assistant director of emergency management.