Hundreds Rescued After Historic Floods Hit The Pacific Northwest

Hundreds of people were rescued after historic flooding across the Pacific Northwest. The region has been slammed with multiple storms that started last week as an atmospheric river that stretches from the west coast to Hawaii continues to dump heavy rain across Washington state and Canada.

The torrential storms dumped over eight inches of rain across the region in just 48 hours, causing rivers to overflow and trapping over 500 people in their homes. At least four rivers reached record levels, the National Weather Service reported.

The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office worked throughout the night to help evacuate residents to shelters.

"WCSO's rescue vehicle was able to reach many residents, and boats were used in places where the water was too deep. These efforts will continue throughout the night," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

The heavy rain also caused several landslides, which covered parts of Interstate 5 in debris, forcing officials to close the major highway.

The storms also brought high winds, with gusts topping 77 mph in some areas. The storms knocked out power for 70,000 people as of Tuesday (November 16) morning.

The storms forced Washington Governor Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency.

The storms are supposed to taper off on Tuesday afternoon, but major flooding is still expected as the water levels in the rivers continue to rise.

While people at lower elevations were dealing with the flooding rain, people who live in higher elevations were bracing for winter weather, with over one foot of snow expected to fall in some areas.