Thousands ready to evacuate as flooding hits Pacific Northwest

Residents in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada are bracing for record flooding as an atmospheric river dumps heavy rain on already swollen rivers.

The US National Weather Service warns that catastrophic flooding is possible in Oregon and Washington states along the Skagit and Snohomish rivers.

In Canada, major highways leading into Vancouver were closed due to flooding, debris and the risk of avalanches.

Evacuation orders are in place for thousands of people in the United States and Canada, and authorities have warned that more rain is expected on Thursday.

In the United States, Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson announced statewide emergency on Wednesday, and an estimated 100,000 residents could soon be ordered to evacuate.

The emergency declaration warned that continued rain and snow in higher elevations would worsen the flooding situation. The declaration added that supply chains and transport could be seriously affected.

Skagit County, a large agricultural area north of Seattle, issued an immediate evacuation order for residents living in the floodplain.

About 75,000 people will be evacuated from low-lying areas of the Skagit River, Robert Ezell, director of the Washington War Department's emergency management office, told reporters Wednesday.

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said in an overnight social media post that it rescued “multiple” people by helicopter after they were trapped in their homes in Sultan, Washington, a community about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northeast of Seattle.

The sheriff's office warned residents Thursday morning that the eastern region of the county was hardest hit after the Skykomish River rose above 24 feet (7 meters) overnight – just shy of the record.

They said the Snohomish River is also experiencing major flooding and is “dancing with records” as water sloshes against a local flood wall.

Officials in King and Snohomish counties said there were numerous closures on state and local roads, with the most likely to occur on Thursday.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Office said in a video post Wednesday that its Swiftwater team had to rescue three people from an RV park in Orting, a community about 42 miles south of Seattle. There are also several road closures in the county.

Across the border in British Columbia, Canada, evacuation orders are in place for the communities of Toulamine and Eastgate. a number of other areas.

The City of Abbotsford ordered the emergency evacuation of 371 properties at 23:00 local time on Wednesday (0700 GMT on Thursday).

City officials said the Nooksack River was expected to overflow its banks early Thursday and said they expected flooding, although not as severe as the province experienced in 2021, when it caused extensive damage and the deaths of five people.

According to travel information website Drive BC, all major highways leading into the Lower Mainland are currently closed.

The US-Canada Sumas border crossing is also closed in both directions.

The entire region, covering parts of the United States and Canada, received heavy rain from the atmospheric river. This is a phenomenon in which water evaporates into the air, is carried by the wind and forms long streams that rise through the sky, like rivers flowing over land.

The heaviest rainfall is expected to subside by Thursday afternoon, but water will continue to flow into rivers.

Another storm is expected on Sunday.