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Highway 101 reopens after flooding in Tillamook

Parts of the city received 5 inches of rain overnight, with area mountains receiving 10 inches, according to the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office. At the height of the downpour, the Wilson River rose five feet above flood stage.

TILLAMOOK, Ore. -- Floodwaters damaged cars, closed at least one business, and shut down part of Highway 101 through Tillamook on Sunday.

Parts of the city received 5 inches of rain overnight, with area mountains receiving 10 inches, according to the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office. At the height of the downpour, the Wilson River rose 5 feet above flood stage.

Sharon Mayac, who lives in an apartment off Highway 101, said she awoke to standing water around her unit.

“I could not get out because it was just all under water,” Mayac said. “One: I was scared. Two: I didn’t know how to get the heck out of there. And three: I didn’t want to trudge through it because I know there’s debris in there and I didn’t want to get hurt.”

Drone video of the Tillamook flooding

Across the street from Mayac, the parking lot of the Western Royal Inn remained partially flooded Sunday evening. High water damaged a car belonging to Alex Fisher’s family. “I just don’t like it, because it destroys everything we own.”

Another couple staying at the motel was being picked up by friends because their car was also damaged.

The Sheriff’s Office said that an RV at a nearby trailer park was damaged during the flooding, but the department did not receive any reports of major building damage related to the storm. Sporadic power outages were reported overnight and some county roads had flooded as well.

Next to the Western Royal Inn, a flooded parking lot forced Haley Ou’s family to close their Chinese restaurant for the day. “It kind of sucks. We aren’t able to go to work,” said Ou. “We’re used to it every year. It happens.”

While the Tillamook area sees flooding every year, authorities say events like these typically don’t happen this early in the season. “It doesn’t happen until November, December, January,” said Mayac.

As of Sunday night, authorities were detouring traffic around the flooded section of Highway 101 via Wilson River Loop road. A less than a half-mile stretch of 101 was closed from Rosenberg Builders Supply to just north of the Western Royal Inn.

The roadway reopened Monday morning, but officials warned that drivers should remain alert and not drive through deep water.

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