US Northwest storms blamed for three deaths
Pastor Dale Morgan
US Northwest storms blamed for three deaths*
Updated 11/10/2006 10:25 PM ET
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Heavy rain and flooding already blamed for three
deaths in the Pacific Northwest washed out a major highway near Mount
Hood on Thursday and forced authorities to close 59 miles of road in
Washington state.
The White River flowed over Oregon 35 on Mount Hood's eastern flank on
Monday and Tuesday, cutting 20-foot-deep ruts through the pavement and
sending boulders and trees rolling down the mountainside, said Bill
Barnhart, an Oregon Department of Transportation manager.
Two creeks also wiped out a section of the same highway to the north,
Barnhart said. Reopening the highway near Mount Hood is estimated to
take $20 million.
The storms damaged hundreds of homes and broke rainfall records. At
least three deaths were blamed on the flooding: two men swept into a
Washington river and a 78-year-old woman found along the Oregon coast,
where another woman was missing.
Rescue teams also continued to search for hunters who might be trapped
in the southwest Washington hillsides between Mount Rainier and Mount
St. Helens, officials said Thursday.
Floodwater from swollen creeks and rivers damaged roads and destroyed
campgrounds at Mount Rainier National Park, closing it for the first
time since 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted. Superintendent Dave
Uberuaga said it would be at least several weeks before the park reopens
to visitors.
Washington authorities decided to shut down a stretch of the North
Cascades Highway on Thursday because of concerns about the stability of
the ground under the roadbed.
On Mount Hood, as much as a million cubic yards of rock, mud and sand
covered a quarter-mile stretch of road, Barnhart said.
"None of us at ODOT or the U.S. Forest Service have ever seen it this
bad," Barnhart said. "Our biggest concern right now is the safety of our
workers."
There were no estimates when the highway would reopen. The same highway
washed out in the summer of 2005.
More rain was expected Friday and over the weekend, but it was not
expected to be as heavy, said forecaster Chris Burke of the National
Weather Service. While river levels were dropping, some were still at
flood stage, with recovery and damage assessment still days away.