Washington State Declares Emergency
Gov. Booth Gardner on Friday proclaimed a state of emergency in 13 southwestern Washington counties following severe windstorms and some of the worst flooding of this century in the state.
“The citizens of our state face millions of dollars in damages,” Gardner said. “Many people’s entire lives have been turned upside down. We need access to every resource available to make repairs and to return life to normal.”
The action triggers a state appeal to the federal government for disaster funds.
The Chehalis River, meanwhile, spared Aberdeen from flooding Friday when high water began emptying into the ocean, leaving an 80-mile brown swath in southwestern Washington.
Flooding along the Chehalis and elsewhere has left three dead, forced thousands from their homes, closed highways and caused millions of dollars in damage.
The Chehalis crested near Aberdeen early Friday, coinciding with an easterly wind and no more rain to spare the town from flooding, said Rita Kepner, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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