Local damages could top $1 million

A slide on Buncombe Hollow Road has trapped seven families and closed access as sheriff's patrols ferry supplies to them. Some families are staying at a local inn. Things have gotten worse with additional slides and there is flooding on property in the residential area. ((Photo courtesy Don Clifford))

As rain tapered off in Southwest Washington today, it appeared increasingly likely that Clark County would be spared the flooding and other havoc being wreaked around the state by drenching rain.

The rain -- combined with rapid snow melt -- is making long-distance transportation very difficult or impossible today. Anyone setting out on a long trip should check carefully to ensure their route is clear.

Locally, a few families were cut off from their homes by road problems. In Woodland, some homes were under an evacuation order, including an RV park. The trouble was not on the scale of the 1996 floods, as originally feared.

The Lewis River at Woodland crested at 25.3 feet at 10 a.m. today; flood stage is 24.0 feet. Minor flooding was experienced. The river should fall gradually over the next couple of days, according to the National Weather Service.

Although Clark County didn't get the brunt of this week's severe winter storm, officials say it will still cost more than $1 million to repair roads.

Three rural roads in northern Clark County near Lake Merwin were undermined by flood damage and must be repaired, said Jim Gladson, the county's public works spokesman. They include: Buncombe Hollow Road, Pup Creek Road and Columbia Tie Road. Most of the $1 million will go toward those repairs.

A series of landslides scraped a portion of Buncombe Hollow and floodwaters submerged Columbia Tie and Pup Creek roads. Gladson didn't know when those roads would reopen.

Clark County will set up a staging area for trucks at the Event Center at the Clark County Fairgrounds at exit 9 sometime in the next 24 hours. Farther north, Interstate 5 remains closed in Lewis County. No reopening date has been set.

For those who must reach Seattle, Horizon Air is offering $119 one-way walk-up fares and adding flights from Portland International Airport.

This afternoon, Gladson said the brunt of the storm appeared over.

"The worst is behind us, as far as Clark County goes," he said.

Parts of Southwest Washington have already been hit with 5 inches of rain during this week's storm. A flood watch remains in effect until late tonight, when meteorologists expect rain to taper off. Partly sunny skies are in the forecast Friday.

Gladson said officials are monitoring potential flooding to the Lewis and Washougal rivers, which are both at or above capacity. But no significant problems have been reported at either rivers, he said.

According to the National Weather Service, neither rivers have reached a flood stage.

Joe Scheer, a Washougal firefighter-spokesman, said this morning no flood-related incidents were reported in Washougal. Although the Washougal River was critical overnight, waters were receding this morning.

"It wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be," he said.

In Woodland, Noel Johnson who lives on the bank of the North Fork of the Lewis River was told last night by emergency officials to evacuate. He stayed the night at a family member's house.

At the time, the flows were estimated at 40,300 cubic feet per second, compared with the typical 7,530. This morning, the river was running at 39,500, and Johnson said waters appeared to be receding.

"We came back and everything was fine," he said.