Update: Flood damaged I-84 may be closed a week. Detour now open

Rain and melting snow in the Blue Mountains is causing havoc east of the Tri-Cities as roiling high water tops the banks of creeks and rivers.

Residents of Columbia and Walla Walla counties in Washington and Umatilla County in Oregon were dealing with closed roads, including Interstate 84, because of flooding on Friday.

The interstate reopened about 3 p.m. with a detour around the main flooded area, said the state Department of Transportation.

The section of the highway between mileposts 182 and 188 is expected to be closed up to a week after the flood waters breached irrigation ditches next to the freeway.

Drivers are encouraged to check TripCheck.com for updates on road conditions. Or call 511 or 800-977-6368. Outside Oregon call 503-588-2941.

In Hermiston, the school district sent an email alert at 12:30 p.m. that some families are trapped by the high water.

“We are aware that families are stranded due to the flood. Search and Rescue is assessing and triaging each situation. If you are having a life-threatening emergency please call 911,” said the alert.

People have been warned not to drive on flooded roads because water may be deeper than it appears. Most flood deaths happen in vehicles, said the National Weather Service.

Here’s a look at what’s happening:

▪ Interstate 84 was closed near dawn Friday eastbound at Stanfield, about 20 miles west of Pendleton. The interstate was closed westbound from near Idaho to Hermiston. The eastbound detour announced Friday afternoon was take Exit 179 to I-82 north, head east on U.S 730 at Umatilla to U.S. 395, take U.S. 395 south through Hermiston and Stanfield to connect to I-84 Eastbound at Exit 188.

Westbound detour is the same, in reverse (Exit at 188, U.S. 395 north through Hermiston, west on U.S. 730, then south on I-82 to connect to I-84 at Exit 179).

▪ Highway 12 was closed for five miles between Dayton to Waitsburg at 5:15 a.m. because of water running over the roadway.

The Washington State Department of Transportation said the road was expected to remain closed until at least Saturday morning.

Many rural roads in Walla Walla, Columbia and Umatilla counties also were closed, along with some streets within the city limits of Walla Walla.

The city of Walla Walla said after a briefing with the National Weather Service that Mill Creek to the west of the city, including near Touchet on Highway 12, was not expected to peak until Friday night or Saturday.

▪ Walla Walla County declared an emergency and opened its emergency operations center.

A mandatory evacuation was ordered for residents on about six miles of Mill Creek Road from the Oregon border north.

The Red Cross had opened a shelter at the Walla Walla Fairgrounds Pavilion. The fairgrounds also was offering shelter for livestock.

Walla Walla city is currently on well water. Employees are monitoring the water supply and say it is safe, and all water mains are good, said a city release.

The city said at 11:30 a.m. that Mill Creek through the city was at a safe level, and starting to decline.

▪ An emergency evacuation was declared Friday morning on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation for people living along the Umatilla River.

▪ A substantial area of Milton-Freewater along the Walla Walla River was ordered evacuated shortly before 9 a.m. The Milton-Freewater Rural Fire Department in Oregon posted on social media at 8 a.m. that the dike was failing.

The Walla Walla River at Milton-Freewater was expected to remain high through Friday, with the water level starting to drop on Saturday.

▪ Hermiston School district said just after noon that it was aware that families were stranded due to the flood. “Search and Rescue is assessing and triaging each situation,” it said.

The Associated Press reported that some residents in rural Oregon were plucked from their flooded homes by helicopter and others rode to safety in the bucket of a front-end loader.

▪ Ski Bluewood near Dayton was closed Friday because of flooding in the area. The ski area warned people not to try to drive in the area. Columbia County commissioners had declared a state of emergency.

Friday evening ski area officials were monitoring conditions with the hope of opening on Saturday.

▪ Dayton and Waitsburg schools closed Friday because of the potential for flooding in the area.

▪ Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday expanded his Thursday emergency proclamation for counties experiencing flooding or other damage from winter storm to include a 20th county, Walla Walla.

The proclamation directs state agencies to do every thing reasonable to help affected communities. It also allows the state to apply for U.S. Department of Transportation money to make road repairs.

This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 10:58 AM.