54 flood victims, 12 pets rescued by helicopters. Damaged I-84 and Hwy 12 reopen

Interstate 84 has reopened east of Interstate 82 near Hermiston as Eastern Washington and Oregon begin to recover from the devastating flooding that began Thursday.

Weather is expected to be cool and dry this week with no new flood threats.

One woman died in Umatilla County after telling neighbors she wanted to wait out the flood on her property near Bar M Ranch near the Umatilla River.

It appeared that Janet Tobkin Conley, 62, was swept away by flood waters, according to the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. She was last seen Thursday night and her body was found Sunday morning.

The Oregon Army National Guard sent two helicopters to rescue people stranded as roads washed out in Umatilla County and across the state line into Walla Walla County.

Helicopter crews rescued 54 people, 10 dogs, one cat and one rabbit.

More people were rescued by search efforts on the ground, including a woman, two children and two dogs who took shelter at the Tucannon Guard Station, where snow and weather conditions kept a helicopter from landing.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office used a Humvee and the Washington State Department of Fish and Game used a state 5-ton truck to drive through the Tucannon River and down washed-out roads with mud and rock slides to reach the guard station, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

Highway 12 is open

Many rural roads remain closed, but the Oregon Department of Transportation crews worked through the night Saturday to get one westbound and one eastbound lane opened Sunday. No estimate has been made of when additional lanes will be opened.

The speed limit has been lowered to 45 mph because of road damage still to be fixed and because Washington state Department of Transportation crews continue to make repairs.

During the closure a detour was available to keep traffic moving.

Highway 12 west of Walla Walla reopened over the weekend.

The 18 rural roads in Walla Walla County that remained closed Monday included Champion road at the Touchet School parking lot and Wallula Road from Old Highway 12 to Harting Road.

In Umatilla County, part of the Tollgate Highway remains closed.

Efforts Monday were turning to recovering from the flood and assessing damage.

The Washington state insurance commissioner warned people not to re-enter flooded homes or businesses before checking for structural damage. Flood-damaged buildings can collapse, and gas leaks and energized wiring in flooded basements also pose a hazard.

This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 12:12 PM.