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U.S. Northwest hit by more storms after flooding, power outages
Posted by Reuters: Eric M. Johnson on December 10th, 2015
Reuters: Fresh storms hit the U.S. Pacific Northwest on Thursday, triggering a state of emergency in several counties, after it received record-breaking rainfall that left two dead in Oregon and triggered widespread flooding, landslides and power cuts. Periods of heavy rain and fierce winds will continue across the region and down into northern California as the next installment of storms moves onshore, and warnings of coastal floods were issued for 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. local time on Friday morning (1100 to...
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Landslides, flooding menace rain-soaked western Washington state
Posted by Reuters: Eric M. Johnson on January 6th, 2015
Reuters: An unusual burst of heavy rainfall in western Washington state caused landslides and flooding early on Monday, knocking three homes off foundations and forcing the evacuation of a nursing home, officials said.
Several landslides in rain-soaked coastal Grays Harbor County pushed muddy floodwater and debris across key state highways, county and rural roads, most of which remained closed at nightfall in and around Aberdeen and Hoquiam, the county's largest cities.
"It's not one of these snow-melt...
Affluent Seattle suburb making progress against E. coli in water supply
Posted by Reuters: Eric M. Johnson on October 8th, 2014
Reuters: A Seattle suburb was making progress cleansing its E. coli-contaminated water supply through system-wide flushes and chlorine injections, a task made more urgent after the potentially deadly bacteria sickened a child, officials said on Tuesday.
Tests first showed the bacteria in the water supply on Mercer Island on Sept. 26, forcing area schools to close for a day as health officials collected thousands of samples to try to locate the source of the contamination.
The alert was lifted last week...
Soaring death toll looms in U.S. mudslide with 90 still missing
Posted by Reuters: Eric M. Johnson on March 29th, 2014
Reuters: The death toll from a mudslide that has left 90 people missing in Washington state appeared certain to climb nearly a week after the disaster, as anguished relatives turned to the Internet and word of mouth for scarce scraps of new information.
At least 26 people were killed when a rain-soaked hillside collapsed without warning last Saturday, unleashing a towering wall of mud that flattened dozens of homes in a river valley near the rural town of Oso, about 55 miles northeast of Seattle.
While...
Mudslide deaths expected to soar as some question disaster response
Posted by Reuters: Eric M. Johnson on March 28th, 2014
Reuters: Washington state officials said the confirmed death toll from a huge mudslide in the U.S. Pacific Northwest was likely to rise sharply from 25 on Friday as residents accused local authorities of a slow early response to the disaster that had cost lives. A rain-soaked hillside collapsed without warning on Saturday, unleashing a deluge of mud on dozens of homes in a river valley near the rural town of Oso, in Snohomish County, some 55 miles northeast of Seattle. Authorities fear that some of the...