Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Wednesday after a powerful storm took the lives of three people and power was cut for more than 350,000 others in Washington, the result of days of continuous rain and floods.
Strong winds running as fast as 100 mph were recorded in some areas of the Inland Northwest, causing trees to fall Tuesday, which had resulted in the deaths. Among the victims were 54-year-old Lea Anne Scott, who was killed when a tree had fallen in Spokane. An unidentified man in his mid-20s was killed after a tree fell over his car as he was driving in Snohomish County, and the third victim who was identified as Carolyn M. Wilford, 70, who succumbed to head injuries after a tree landed on her car on Highway 904, which is 15 miles southwest of Spokane, according to Fox News.
Water entered many businesses, houses and farms as the floods took over most of the state. With the declaration of a state of emergency, Inslee is hoping to get help from the National Guard with the clean-up efforts as the state initiates its emergency plans.
The towns of Sultan, Stanwood, Arlington and Granite Falls were among the places that received heavy damage because of the floods. Farmers are worried of the mess they will have to clean once the last of the rain has subsided. Farmers began hoarding every animal they could get their hands on for fear of losing their livestock since the water was already knee-deep in most farms, KOMO News reported.
"I wasn't expecting it," said farmer Robert Lane. "I went to work, it was fine. A couple of hours later, the wife got the message we should be bailing out."
Flood warnings still remain for many of the nearby counties, as water is expected to rise in areas like Snohomish and Monroe. Significant flooding was also experienced in Carnation, Fall City and Sihana, while flood watches remain in effect for Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties, according to King 5.
