Well before the break of dawn in the Pacific Northwest, the winds were howling, reaching gusts of 100mph, taking down trees, power lines, and plunging hundreds of thousands into darkness. It’s the destructive winds, in combination with heavy flooding, which have put the extent of the landslides and flooding waters to a deadly level in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. This, in spite of the regions being prone to danger, facing river crest threats, and amidst an impending AR event.
1. Widespread Power Outages and Dangerous Gusts
About 600,000 consumers lost power on Wednesday morning due to the impact caused by hurricane-force winds. There was a severe thunderstorm warning issued by the National Weather Service in Spokane for Pullman, Lewiston, and Moscow regarding the threat of “life-threatening and destructive” conditions. Wind speeds had been recorded at 60 mph at Spokane International Airport, while a huge gust of wind measured 138 mph on Mt. Hood in the state of Oregon. A semi-truck turned over on US 195 in Colton due to turbulence.
2. Flooding and Landslides Exacerbate the Situation
The heavy winds were also battering this already pummeled landscape, which has been hit with more than a week’s worth of heavy rainfall. Many roads and highways, including Route US2 between Skykomish and Leavenworth, were washed away and hidden under the debris, and this is expected to be this way for at least several months, according to Washington State Gov. Bob Ferguson. “This road is closed because it is not safe to drive on it is not because we like closing roads,” transportation officials told drivers to disregard closed roads, according to news sources.
3. Evacuations and Rescue Operations
A minimum of 100,000 people have been placed under evacuation notices, mostly in and around the flood plain areas of the Skagit River, near Seattle. A total of 629 people have been rescued, while 572 people have been helped to evacuate by Emergency Responders. There have also been Evacuations in King County because of the breaching of levees caused by the breaking of the White and Green Rivers in the region of Pacific and Tukwilla. The Snohomish and Skagit Rivers are expected to crest tonight and tomorrow.
4. Lives Lost and Injuries Reported
Additionally, there have been lives lost due to the occurrence of the storms. In the State of Washington, a man drowned because he did not listen to the warning that there were floods. In the suburb of Fernan, located in Idaho, a man lost his life after a tree collapsed upon his house, killing him since he was sitting beside his bed. In Twin Falls County, two children were left badly injured due to the fall of a rotten tree that was pulled down by strong winds as they waited for their school bus.
5. Emergency Aid and Federal Assistance
The state and county governments are also utilizing their power to mitigate the problem. Washington has provided a couple of million dollars to take care of hotel, grocery, as well as basic needs, of displaced persons. The Washington Emergency Declaration, which got approval from President Trump, has provided avenues for FEMA to contribute to relief activities. The relief activities are primarily focusing on 14 counties that were most affected because of flooding.
6. Coping with Emotional Stress After Disaster
“The people that are surviving are trying to deal with what they’ve lost, but they’re also trying to deal with what they’ve seen,” said John Auerbach, the acting deputy secretary for Preparedness and Response with HHS.
In the matters concerning the National Institute of Mental Health, the following has been noted: “Reactions to huge stress can include feelings of anxiety, disturbance in sleep patterns, or being preoccupied with the event. Following a stress plan can provide relief from stress. A person can avoid excessive exposure to stressful news, have their regular schedules for eating and sleeping, and practice activities such as walking and deep breathing.” There is a hotline which can be called if one is experiencing disaster-related distress.
7. Building Long-Term Community Resilience
There are also increased cases of natural disasters. The Community Climate Resilience Toolkit is an asset that has access to the information required by the community to improve their own assessments concerning resilience and is also used to improve the safety of infrastructure. Neighborhood projects, such as mutual aid pods, resource piles of goods, and reforestation projects, are also significant. Then there are projects concerning parks that aim to provide floodwater absorption and relieve hotspots. The asset involving energy consists of charging stations and micro-grids.
8. Role of Local Government in Readiness
Vulnerability can also be remedied through policies, through intervention by affected communities. One would want to promote and adopt new construction policies and flood handling policies to make sure that they are ready for future disaster situations. The public can engage in these town hall meetings, including action plans for climate change. They can engage with the schools and the libraries.
9. Staying Safe as Weather Threats Continue
Hazards Although there is an additional atmospheric river that is also expected on Thursday, care is required. Flood Watches are in place for Washington State and also for the state of Oregon. The Blizzard Warning has also been issued for the Northern Cascades and the Olympic Mountains. This cold weather is also going to produce heavy snow in the mountains. This is going to delay the flood wave even more, yet the danger to travel in the weather conditions is going to mount. Unlike the conditions in the Pacific Northwest region, there is an end to the safety crisis in the short term for the safety planning challenges and the improvement of the resilience for the-emotional support prompts.
