Aberdeen man is reported missing after driving truck into Elma floodwaters, deputies say
A 39-year-old Aberdeen man went missing overnight Sunday after he drove his truck into floodwaters in Elma, according to the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office.
About 3:20 a.m. Sunday, deputies learned the man went missing in the area of a road closure on Porter Creek Road West.
A friend told deputies that he had received a call earlier that night from the Aberdeen man, asking for help after he drove his truck into floodwaters and became disabled.
The friend got to the vehicle about 2:30 a.m. but the Aberdeen man was not in it.
“The water was swift in the area of the disabled vehicle and the reporting party advised he was nearly swept off the roadway going to and from the disabled vehicle,” a post on the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Facebook page reads.
Deputies arrived on scene about 3:40 a.m. but were unable to launch a boat due to darkness and what they called “extremely dangerous water conditions.”
The Thurston County Swift Water Rescue Team also determined it was not safe to enter the water until daylight hours, and the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office searched the area with a thermal imaging drone that did not locate the missing man.
Law enforcement is still on scene and will resume searching once daylight arrives, according to the Facebook post.
The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office asks that people not drive on closed roads.
This story was originally published January 9, 2022 at 10:44 AM.
