Evacuations were under way in Bucoda this morning as the Skookumchuck River climbed three feet over flood stage with no sign of letup until later this afternoon.
The Thurston County Sheriff's Office dispatched its dive team to the O'Connor Road area as a precautionary measure after receiving reports of rural residents in the area trapped behind the floodwaters that forced closure of State Route 507 this morning.
In the Grand Mound-Rochester area, Chehalis River floodwaters continued to rise this morning and were expected to crest more than five feet above flood stage around 10 p.m., Thursday.
"The Chehalis Valley in south county is inundated with water," noted Thurston County spokesman John Tennis.
County emergency management personnel said they've received no reports of serious injuries from the flood event.
Flooding on the Deschutes River could cause trouble in downtown Olympia this afternoon as the floodwaters bump up against a Budd Inlet high tide about 1:45 p.m. at the Fifth Avenue Dam.
"We won't know until about 2 p.m. if we'll be able to contain the water in Capitol Lake or not," state Department of General Administration official Steve Valandra said.
The City of Olympia is closing roads to all except emergency vehicles in the Heritage Park area around the lake and dispatching about 1,000 more sandbags to lakeside businesses in case the park can't hold floodwaters that could top the Heritage Park sea wall, Valandra said.
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