By ,
Published May 03, 2016
An Oregon man and deputy were rescued late Tuesday after being trapped in between two landslides, just one of the many weather-related emergencies across the Pacific Northwest.
Hours later, one person died when a large tree smashed into a home in southeast Portland, KPTV reports. The tree fell on a 60-year-old woman sleeping in her bed early Wednesday, officials said. Two other people made it out of the home alive, according to firefighters.
The homeowner and deputy caught in the Kalama landslides were unhurt, according to KPTV.
Flooding forced the evacuation of the Kalama fire station, police station and city hall, according to the Cowlitz County Emergency Center. Mayor Ken Paulsen told KPTV those buildings have about 6 to 8 inches of rain inside of them.
Paulsen said services will be relocated to the Public Works building in Kalama. He told KPTV he didn’t blame a pump for the flooding troubles, but said the significant rainfall was a major factor.
In Washington, Puget Sound Energy reported more than 70,000 power outages as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Portland General Electric said crews were trying to restore power to 26,000 customers. Flood warnings remained in effect in both states.
Cowlitz County in Washington also declared a flood disaster. Officials urged residents to document everything because they will be requesting certain information in the recovery phase after the flooding subsides.
Amtrak on Tuesday closed tracks between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, because of high waters north of Portland Union Station. Passengers using the Amtrak Cascades service will be taken by bus around the closed areas. Coast Starlight and Empire Builder trains will be rerouted through the area.
Even more rain is scheduled to fall in the region on Wednesday and into Thursday. The rains are caused by several low-pressure systems moving through the region, one after the other, forecasters said.
Officials say residents should avoid traveling and should watch for flash floods, mudslides, falling trees and power outages. They are also advised to keep children and pets away from floodwaters and avoid walking and driving through high water. Residents whose property is at risk for flooding should use sandbags.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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