SEATTLE, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- All of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington was under flood warnings or watches Tuesday as six days of heavy rain caused evacuations and accidents.
Monday, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire declared a state of emergency for 18 counties and state transportation officials closed sections of nearly 20 Western Washington highways because of flooding, landslides and washouts, the Seattle Times reported.
By Tuesday, the only known fatality was that of a Seattle elk hunter who drowned when a riverbank gave way and his truck plunged into the raging Cowlitz River south of Mount Rainier.
National Guardsmen and local and state workers throughout the region scrambled to help evacuated trapped residents, plant sandbags and keep storm drains flowing, various newspapers reported.
Almost all rivers in the affected area were at, or had exceeded flood stage, the National Weather Service reported.
The storm system behind the downpour is known regionally as the "Pineapple Express," which is a tropical jet stream from Hawaii that moves across the eastern Pacific, gathering moisture before unloading it in the Northwest.
