The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Seattle issued a flash flood warning for part of southwestern King County early Tuesday morning, after the office said levees failed around the White River in the city of Pacific, Washington. King County officials told FOX Weather that some people had to be rescued from their homes. This comes after an earlier levee failure Monday afternoon along the Green River in Tukwila, some 20 miles north of Pacific. This comes days after historic flooding across Washington, which began last week after days of heavy rain caused widespread river flooding across much of the western part of the state.
YAMHILL COUNTY, Ore. – A man lost his life on Friday after drowning in floodwaters in Yamhill County, Oregon.
A 911 call was received by Yamhill Communications around 7:40am local time on Wednesday, Dec. 19, regarding a vehicle that drove past road closure signs around a flooded area. The driver drove into high water covering a roadway.
The Pacific Northwest has been battling floodwaters over the last two weeks, after an atmospheric river slammed into the region, bringing heavy rain and dangerous conditions.
WATCH: LEVEE FAILURE PROMPTS OVERNIGHT EVACUATIONS, IMPACTS HUNDREDS OF HOMES IN WASHINGTON
According to the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, the caller saw the vehicle get swept away by the current and off the road into a large flooded area on the south side of the South Yamhill River. A witness observed an occupant of the vehicle get out of the car and into the water.
Deputies from the sheriff’s office and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Oregon responded to the call, with support from the Dallas Oregon Police Department and the Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department. The Sheridan Rural Fire Protection District requested assistance from the Salem Fire Department with a water rescue team.
The Dallas Oregon Police Department deployed drones over the area where a body was discovered in the water.
With the help of a local resident with water rescue experience, the Salem Fire Department deployed with an inflatable boat and recovered the victim.
The victim was later identified as a 52-year-old man from Amity, Oregon.
The Yamhill Country Sheriff’s Office says, “Many areas in Yamhill County continue to be affected by high water and flooding. We are asking individuals to never drive into high water, and to obey all signage and traffic control devices related to flood affected areas.”
