What do you get after 10 inches of snow followed by 8 inches of rain?  Floods!  The flooding here in Mason County was record setting.  I was not able to go to work because the highways in all directions were closed due to floods and mudslides.  In fact Hoodsport is still completely isolated with no way to get in or out.  The governor has declared a state of emergency, since the whole state has suffered from disastrous flooding, mudslides, and trees knocked over by very high winds which came with the rain.



This is what the Hood Canal Salmon Hatchery looked like this morning after Finch Creek flooded its banks and overflowed into the hatchery buildings.  Since all of the ponds were completely inundated with water, the fish were able to escape right out into Hood Canal.



This is what is left of the Finch Creek bridge near Lumberman's.  Unfortunately, the trees floating down the creek also took out the water main which crosses here leaving Hoodsport residents without water for an indefinite amount of time.  Flooding and downed trees also blocked Lake Cushman Road (Highway 119) in at least a dozen places and threatens to wash out the highway completely at the lower S curves.  Lake Cushman residents have been without power for more than 24 hours.  It is not likely this will be restored anytime soon since PUD #3 has no way of getting to the lines.  I also noticed two separate areas of the BPA high transmission lines were down.

More rain and high winds are predicted for tonight.  I have more pictures, but they are on my smaller camera which is no longer operational due to the heavy rains I subjected it to.  The above pictures were taken with my good camera just before it completely fogged over and became unusable.

Check back later for more details.

Tags: weather
Current Location: Hoodsport, WA