SEATTLE - Coast Guard troops continue rescue efforts for hundreds of victims in flooded regions of Western Washington, while state transportation officials say Interstate 5 will remain closed near Chehalis until this weekend, perhaps longer.

Helicopters rescued some 300 people this week - some plucked from the rooftops of their own homes - in flooded areas battered by Monday's fierce storm. While some flood waters are receding, entire neighborhoods and streets remain flooded with several feet of water. Cars, trees and even some homes were awash with brown, muddy waters.

About 50,000 residents still remain without power throughout the state and several counties and cities remained under flood emergency.

The hardest hit areas were on the Olympic Peninsula, Kitsap County and the southwestern corner of the state. In Lincoln County, slowly receding flood waters revealed massive, widepread destruction. In Boistfort Valley, flood waters damaged Boistfort Valley Water System water lines, and health officials urged customers to use bottled water, effective immediately.

"The town of Boistfort doesn't have any running water, so we're trying to get drinking water to them and to the residents of Pe Ell," said Det. Sgt. Stacy Brown, Lewis County Sheriff's Office.

About 400 Coast Guard members were assisting flood control work and emergency responders. Since there is no power or phone service in Boistfort, National Guard troops are going door-to-door to hand out emergency rations or aid residents in dire need. Since temperatures were expected to drop Wednesday night, emergency officials urged residents without power to go to Red Cross shelters in the county.

Check the latest on flood damage, road closures and power outages and school closures.

Gov. Chris Gregoire began a news briefing Wednesday morning in Olympia with a plea to Washingtonians.

"On a human level, it's pretty devastating," said Gregoire. "Washington state was one of the best in the country to help our fellow citizens out in Louisiana. Now our citizens need their help. And it's time for us to turn our attention to the human needs that are present."

Gregoire asked citizens to donate food, clothing and supplies to the American Red Cross. She added that an assessment of the damage was under way for government help.

"That will probably involve two of our harder hit counties at the moment - Lewis and Grays Harbor," said Gregoire.

Interstate 5 still under water

Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says 40 of 60 closed roads have been reopened. She says a lot of work is focused on the 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 closed near Centralia, which WSDOT officials say will remain closed until the weekend, perhaps longer.

"One of things we're most concerned about is that people not have too high of expectations," said Hammond.

The state Transportation Department began breaching a dike near Centralia that had been overcome by the flood to allow water to more quickly drain back into the Chehalis River. At one point Tuesday, a three-mile section of I-5 was under as much as 10 feet of water from the surging Chehalis.

"We have got an economy suffering mightily because of the shutdown of the freeway between here and Portland," said Gregoire. About 54,000 vehicles travel the major thoroughfare each day.

KING / Courtesy Ryan Hamilton

I-5 near Chehalis was so flooded, kayakers were paddling along in certain submerged areas of the interstate.

With I-5 closed, state officials were recommending a lengthy ground detour — Interstate 90 across the Cascade mountains and down U.S. 97 through central Washington to the Oregon border — a route that roughly doubles the three-hour trip from Seattle to Portland to seven hours. Many travelers just can't afford the time. 

To help ease the burden, Horizon Airlines has brought in five larger planes to help travelers get around the 20-mile closure on Interstate 5 near Chehalis.

Five dead after storm hits

Two hikers were found dead Tuesday from an avalanche in the Cascade Mountains, King County sheriff's officials said. The hikers were killed as heavy rain atop heavy snow increased the avalanche danger.

A man in Mason County died Monday night when he was buried in a building hit by a mudslide, said Kyle Herman, a spokesman for the Washington State Emergency Management Division.

Officials said two more men died in Grays Harbor County: one in Aberdeen who was hit by a falling tree as he was trying to clear another downed tree, and one in Montesano who apparently relied on oxygen equipment that stopped working after electricity was lost.

Flooding reaches Grays Harbor County, Thurston County

More areas of Grays Harbor County could end up cut off from the rest of the state as the Chehalis River near Porter crests Wednesday.  

The National Weather Service warns the river could swallow State Route 12 from Oakville downstream through Aberdeen all the way to Grays Harbor.  The flooding follows widespread damage in the area. Thousands of people in Gray Harbor County are without electricity after high winds knocked down treese and power lines. It could be days before it's restored.

Aberdeen police reported several "crimes of opportunity" during the power outages, when street lights weren't working and alarm systems were down. They say suspects broke though windows and grabbed items from stores. An Ocean Shores IGA was evacuated after more than a dozen people were overcome by CO2 fumes produced by generators powering the store.

In Thurston County, waters are starting to recede in the town of Rochester, giving rescuers a chance to check in on people whose homes have been under water all week.

But as many as 75 homes in Rochester may still be significantly under water.

Lewis County, Pacific County hit hard

Upriver, those who survived the drenching rain and howling wind were hoping for the muddy brown water to recede so they could return home and see what was left.

Others were looking for the lost. In the Lewis County town of Winlock, a dive team planned to spend Wednesday searching normally tiny Wallers Creek for Richard Hiatt, 81, believed to have been swept away when a bank gave out from underneath him.

"It happened so quickly," daughter-in-law Sharon Hiatt said Tuesday as searches continued. "That's the only possibility, that he fell into the creek."

Although rainfall has eased, runoff from the deluge-soaked hills continued to feed nearby rivers and streams.

The Chehalis River crested at nearly 10 feet over flood stage Tuesday. At its highest, the river was roughly six inches higher than the previous record set in February 1996, officials said. Flooding closed the freeway for four days that year.

David Dye, the state's deputy transportation secretary, said workers were cleaning up lots of debris — "garbage, tires, dead rats everywhere" — while they waited for the water to recede.

On the edge of downtown Centralia, waist-high water the color of chocolate milk covered streets as police used small boats to get to houses in flooded neighborhoods.

AP

Homes in downtown Centralia,Wash. rest in a lake of mud after flood waters from the Chehalis River inundated Lewis County.

Firefighters finally persuaded Katrina Puris, 25, to flee her home as her neighbors' cars were floating down the street late Monday night. She had been reluctant to leave with three children under 5 in the house, despite the firefighters' pleas.

"They were yelling: 'If you're not coming out now, we're leaving,'" Puris said Tuesday. "So I just grabbed everything I could and we just ran."

In Pacific County, Wednesday was the fourth day without power. The town of Raymond is partially cut off because of flooded highways. Public utilities hope to get power on Wednesday evening or Thursday. In the meantime, fuel for generators is running low.

"We have a generator at the hospital. We have a generator at the jail," said Bryan Harrison, of the Pacific County Commissioners. "We have generators of course at the nursing homes. And then at the shelter facilities it's been a scramble – as soon as one runs out, we're trying to get fuel to another."

Heavy rains let up

Colder, drier weather was forecast for the rest of the week.

"We are finally drying out," said KING 5 meteorologist Chris Warren. "Aside from a random shower here and there, we're going to see a pretty good dry stretch on the way, but we are going to be dealing with some cold nights."

Many flood warning were still in effect. Many rivers have already crested, so they won't rise any higher but may continue to flood.

The next few days will bring partly cloudy skies with a few showers. Overnight lows in the 30s should hit right above the freezing mark for most places, but a few areas may get close.

"The good news - mostly dry conditions possibly through the weekend," said Warren. "There's a chance for showers Sunday into Monday."

Another weather disturbance moving into Oregon could bring showers to southwest Washington, but the rest of state will remain relatively dry, said Warren.

Train service back up

After mudslides halted train service for two days, Burlington Northern Santa Fe says trains are rolling again. 

Spokesman Gus Melonas says one side of the dual track through Centralia re-opened early Wednesday and repairs to the second track should be completed Wednesday night.  

Melonas says Amtrak passenger trains and Sounder commuter trains should be back in service for Thursday schedules.