A state of emergency remains in effect and tens of thousands are on alert for possible evacuations as an atmospheric river continues to wreak havoc with widespread flooding in parts of Washington.
FEMA response teams have been deployed to the state as some rivers have yet to hit their crests following more than a foot of rain in some areas.
"Lives will be at stake in the coming days," Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said after declaring a state of emergency.
(MORE:If You're Caught In A Flood, Here's What To Do)
Wednesday afternon, a stretch of Interstate 90 was shut down at Stevens Pass whena mudslide blocked the road, Fox 13 Seattle reported. As you can see, it was quite the mess, but everyone made it out of the incident unscathed.
"Both the Skagit and Snohomish Rivers are nearing crests today," said weather.com senior meteorologistJonathan Erdman. "A sliver of good news is the Skagit River is trending a bit lower than forecast, so it's not a guarantee it will set a record crest today."
(MORE:Flowing Water Is More Powerful Than You May Think)
The rain that has fallen for days is being dumped by an atmospheric river that's funneling precipitation into the region, but the rain should finally begin to diminish later Thursday.
Still, the damage has been done. Water rescues have been needed as homes were submerged and rivers rose to dangerous levels and government offices were closed in some areas, like Skagit County.
More than 20,000 customers in Washington had lost electricity by Thursday morning, according toPowerOutage.us.
In Mount Vernon, where residents in the 100-year floodplain were told to evacuate, Jake Lambly added sandbags, tested water pumps and moved valuables to the top floor of the home he shares with his 19-year-old son.
"This is my only asset," he said Wednesday from his front porch. "I got nothing else."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
