Washington state: days of intense rain have resulted in record floods that have torn at least two houses off their foundations, trapped people on roofs, and washed over bridges. Experts cautioned that more floods on Friday may have disastrous consequences.

Tens of thousands of people in Washington are under evacuation orders due to the state of emergency. As yet another river approached record levels on Thursday, Governor Bob Ferguson encouraged everyone to heed evacuation orders.

On the social media site X, he said, “I am aware that a large number of people in our state have previously encountered severe flooding.” “But we’re facing a historic circumstance.”

The floodplain of the Skagit River, which was predicted to crest on Friday morning, was to be evacuated by some 78,000 people of a significant agricultural area north of Seattle.

With several bridges flooded and some important roadways submerged or swept away, the floods were having an effect on a significant portion of the state. Some highways, such as a significant portion of state Route 410, have no predicted reopening time or alternative routes.

East of Seattle, a portion of Interstate 90 was closed by a landslide; pictures show cars stuck by branches, tree trunks, mud, and standing water.

The northern communities of Sumas, Nooksack, and Everson on the border between the United States and Canada were evacuated due to flooding. Amtrak halted trains between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, while the border crossing at Sumas was closed.

Just four years after a comparable storm, a large portion of the city has been “devastated” by the high floods, according to Sumas Mayor Bruce Bosch.

Record-breaking floods in rivers

According to the National Water Prediction Service, the Skagit River climbed slightly beyond its record Thursday night in Mount Vernon, while the Snohomish River surged about a foot (30 cm) higher than its record Thursday in the charming city that bears its name.

Flooding swept into the mountain hamlet of Concrete earlier Thursday, and the Skagit just missed its previous record.

Mariah Brosa said that while the torrent river narrowly avoided entering her elevated riverside property in Concrete, it nonetheless slammed debris against her house and destroyed her fiancé’s work vehicle. She said, “I didn’t think it would come this high.”

Mount Vernon, the main city in Skagit County with over 35,000 population, has long been afflicted by flooding from the Skagit. In 2003, hundreds of individuals were relocated due to flooding.

When the river surged close to record levels in 2021, a floodwall protecting downtown passed a crucial test. As of late Thursday morning, according to Mayor Peter Donovan, water was nearing the base of the floodwall.

According to Michael Lumpkin of the police department, authorities in neighboring Burlington anticipated that dikes and other mechanisms would shield their municipality from disaster.

Authorities react to floods

After an atmospheric river saturated the area, authorities in Washington state have been rescuing people from automobiles and houses in recent days.

Frank Cain Jr., battalion chief for Whatcom County Fire District 14, said that helicopters rescued two people Thursday from the rooftops of houses in Sumas that were inundated by around 15 feet (4.6 meters) of water, while the city’s fire station had 3 feet (91 centimeters) of water.

According to him, at least two homes in the neighboring town of Welcome collapsed into the Nooksack River due to erosion brought on by the flooding. At the moment, nobody was inside.

A herd of elk waded and swam through neck-high water on a Snoqualmie football field.

Residents along Issaquah Creek east of Seattle utilized water pumps on Thursday morning as swift floods flooded yards. Along the stream, a dangerous area was marked off with yellow tape.

Some extreme rainfall has been associated with climate change. According to scientists, climate change is generally to blame for increasingly severe and frequent extreme storms, droughts, floods, and wildfires, but they are unable to clearly connect a particular weather event to it without doing specialized research.

Beginning on Sunday, further rain is predicted due to another storm system.