Washington insurance commissioner issues emergency order to protect storm-impacted residents<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cIf you get an evacuation order, for God\u2019s sakes, follow it,\u201d Ferguson said during a news conference with state and federal emergency officials.<\/p>\n
According to the American Red Cross, the designated disaster area now spans more than 123,000 square miles. Ferguson said historic river levels, damaged highways and ongoing rescues underscore the severity of the crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we\u2019ve been saying every day since this started, the situation is extremely unpredictable,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cThat\u2019s something I want to emphasize again to all Washingtonians.\u201d<\/p>\n
The governor expanded his emergency declaration to include 14 counties, activating state cash and benefit assistance programs and making $3.5 million immediately available for disaster relief \u2014 funds he said he can release without legislative approval. Additional resources may be approved when the legislative session begins.<\/p>\n
Ferguson also said the state is working to secure a federal major disaster declaration, which would unlock significant financial assistance for individuals, local governments and the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what unlocks significant financial resources for individuals and for local governments and the state,\u201d Ferguson said, describing impacts he said will be \u201cprofound from a financial standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emergency response efforts are underway across the region, with hundreds of personnel deployed on the ground and in the air. Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, Washington\u2019s Adjutant General, said approximately 250 soldiers and airmen are assisting with the response.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey filled over 15,000 sandbags,\u201d Welsh said. \u201cThey\u2019re preventing people from driving down dangerous roads, and they\u2019re going door to door to help with evacuations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coast Guard helicopters are providing aerial support, while federal urban search and rescue teams have been deployed to assist people trapped by floodwaters. State officials said emergency responders have carried out more than 1,200 rescues across multiple counties.<\/p>\n
Officials cautioned that the situation could worsen over the next several days as additional rain and high winds move into the region. Rivers including the Snoqualmie and Skagit are expected to crest above major flood stage, increasing the risk of further flooding and power outages.<\/p>\n
Despite ongoing rescue and response efforts, officials said the full extent of the damage will not be known until waters recede and detailed assessments can begin.<\/p>\n
For now, state leaders emphasized safety as the top priority, urging residents to avoid flooded roads, heed evacuation orders and stay alert as conditions continue to change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"State officials said emergency responders have carried out more than 1,200 rescues across multiple counties. SEATTLE \u2014 State…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356619,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-356618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}