Pacific north-west prepares to clean up after flooding and braces for more rain
Torrential rains that pummeled the Pacific north-west this week will begin to slow on Thursday, as the region examines the damage left in the wake of severe storms across Washington and Oregon.
The atmospheric river systems brought heavy rain, flooding and unseasonably warm temperatures to the region, forcing closures of schools and roads as authorities rescued people from raging rivers and submerged streets. Officials reported the death of two men whose bodies were recovered from rushing waters.
While the weather is expected to lighten temporarily, forecasters say more storms are on the way. “A brief reprieve from the fire hose is expected to set in today,” the National Weather Service posted on Thursday. Flood warnings and watches were set to expire even though light to moderate rainfall was forecast to continue into the weekend.
In Washington, communities are still assessing the damage from the storms that shattered daily rainfall and temperature records in the state. Seattle, a city known for its cool misty days, broke its daily record high. Rainfall caused a landslide that forced Amtrak to halt all passenger trains running between Portland and Seattle. Parts of Highway 101 remained closed due to flooding.
Atmospheric rivers, also known as the “Pineapple Express”, are storms named for the way moisture gathers in the Pacific near Hawaii before unleashing high precipitation when they make landfall. These storms are expected to be supercharged as the world warms. While more research is needed before scientists can conclude how certain weather events are connected to the climate crisis, researchers have warned that these systems will likely grow more intense.
Already, storms like these have the potential to wreak havoc across the American west coast. Last year, California saw record storms that left destruction in their wake, and parts of the state are still recovering as another potentially wet winter looms large.
Areas only just emerging from devastating drought conditions and the onslaught of wildfires in recent years have now had to prepare for rising waters and crumbling cliff sides.
A man who was in a small boat with no oars was saved from a raging Skykomish River in Monroe, Washington, during a challenging nighttime rescue on Tuesday that involved 23 first responders, the Snohomish regional fire and rescue service said in a social media post. Firefighters threw him a rope from an overpass, but when he stood up to grab it, the swift current ripped the boat from under him and he was swept away by the river full of large tree debris. He was able to swim to shore and hold on to a tree on the riverbank as crews cut through bushes to reach him.
On Monday, officials received reports of a person who appeared to be grasping a couch cushion floating down Johnson Creek in south-west Oregon, Portland fire and rescue spokesperson Rick Graves told reporters. Rescuers found the cushion, but not the person, he said. Hours later, a body was found. He was one of two reported fatalities; the other person’s body was recovered from submerged tree branches.
Initial reports suggested that the man might have been camping near the creek or visiting the area to help people experiencing homelessness, Graves said. Unhoused communities are among the most at-risk during dangerous storms, often left to navigate overexposure to the extreme elements.
More than 100 people live in the brush along Johnson Creek, Kristle Delihanty, founder of PDX Saints Love, told the Oregonian. Whenever severe rainstorms near the area, her nonprofit, which offers aid to people living unsheltered, sends out weather alerts to clients, who spread the word that it is time to move to higher ground.“The message we try to get out to them is ‘I know you think it looks like it’s far away, but it’s not. It can come in the night when you’re sleeping and not aware,’” Delihanty said. “We try to explain the dangers of being in a zipped-up tent and trying to navigate yourself when the flooding comes up.”