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Damage from record flooding still unclear

SEATTLE (AP) — The extent of the damage in Washington state is profound but unclear after more than a week of heavy rains and record flooding, Gov. Bob Ferguson said Tuesday, as more high water, mudslides and power outages were in the forecast.

A barrage of storms from weather systems stretching across the Pacific has dumped close to 2 feet of rain in parts of the Cascade Mountains, swelling rivers far beyond their banks and prompting more than 600 rescues across 10 counties.

As of Tuesday, there had been only one death — of a man who drove past warning signs into a flooded area — but highways were buried or washed out, communities had been inundated and saturated levees had given way.

“We’re in for the long haul,” Ferguson said at a news conference. “If you get an evacuation order, for God’s sakes, follow it.”