PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Flooding closed Oregon’s coastal highway on Thursday, while landslides hit some areas in Portland amid unrelenting rain.
U.S. 101 was closed for a while to all vehicles just south of Seaside because of water that was almost 2 feet deep in places, the department of transportation said, warning travelers to avoid the area.
In Forest Grove, west of Portland, firefighters had to rescue a man who allegedly drove past road closed signs and into high water, where his vehicle went into a ditch and finally was submerged. By the time rescuers in a boat got to him, he was standing on the roof of his vehicle, which was completely under the water.
Officials in Washington County, which encompasses Forest Grove, said on Twitter that nearly 40 roads in the county were closed or restricted due to flooding.
Sewage overflow spilled into the Willamette River around midnight. Because of increased bacteria in the water, the public was told to avoid contact with the Willamette River in the area north of Willamette Park in Portland for 48 hours. Portland’s combined sewer system carries sewage and stormwater runoff in the same pipes. During very heavy storms, some sewage can overflow.
The National Weather Service’s weather map Thursday morning was a multi-colored puzzle of warnings, watches and advisories.
An avalanche warning has been issued in the Cascades and a freezing rain advisory is in effect for the Columbia River Gorge.
Flood warnings were in effect from the Willamette Valley to the coast and in big chunks of eastern and southern Oregon.
Multiple slides have been reported this week and are more are expected.
The coast is also dealing with a high-wind warning and a wind advisory has been issued for sparsely populated southeast Oregon.
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