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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Flooding Continues Around State Roads Closed, Homes Threatened In Central Washington Counties

Associated Press

Flooding from heavy rains closed roads and threatened homes in several counties across Washington state Wednesday.

Several rivers jumped their banks, stranding residents in low-lying communities.

The hardest-hit counties included Douglas, Grant, Yakima and Klickitat counties in central Washington. Mason, King and Snohomish counties in the western part of the state also suffered flooding.

No injuries were reported.

Some residents left their homes while others piled sandbags to ward off creeping chocolate-colored water. Still others took the latest spate of rising water in stride.

“It’s not a flood until it washes through downtown Klickitat,” said Betty Bell, standing with her dog on a bridge spanning the raging Klickitat River about two miles north of town. “Until then, it’s high water.”

U.S. Highway 101, the only north-south route along the eastern edge of the Olympic Peninsula, was closed indefinitely Monday near the Mason-Jefferson county line by a slide below the northbound lanes.

“We can’t estimate when it might reopen. It could be a month; it could be longer,” said Nita Jackson, public involvement coordinator for the state Department of Transportation’s Olympic region.

The agency is looking at the possibility of making a detour route above the washed-out portion of roadway for local traffic, Jackson said Wednesday.

Flood warnings remain in effect for the Skokomish River in Mason County, Snoqualmie River in King County, Snohomish River in Snohomish County, Yakima River in Yakima County and Klickitat River in Klickitat County.