Washington state faces historic floods that have washed away homes, stranded families

WASHINGTON: Days of torrential rain in Washington state has caused historic floods that have stranded families on rooftops, washed over bridges and ripped at

least two homes from their foundations, and experts warned that even more flooding expected Friday could be catastrophic.

Washington is under a state of emergency and evacuation orders are in place for tens of thousands of residents. Gov Bob Ferguson on Thursday urged

everyone to follow evacuation instructions as yet another river neared record levels.

“I understand that many in our state have experienced significant floods in the past,” he said on the social platform X. “However, we’re looking at a historic situation.”

About 78,000 residents of a major agricultural region north of Seattle were ordered to evacuate the loodplain of the Skagit River, which was expected to crest Friday morning.

The floods were impacting large parts of the state, with several bridges flooded and some major roads inundated or washed out. Some roads had no alternate routes and no estimated reopening time, including a large part of state Route 410.