During this summer we saw, for the first time ever, the Pacific Northwest get hit with heat waves as high of 116 degrees. The caused hundreds of deaths among older, home bound people who could not reach the cooling centers. Many people in this region didn’t have air conditioning which caused hospitals to overflow with people diagnosed with various heat illnesses.

Now in the autumn, the heat has finally caught up with the Pacific Northwest. Extreme flooding has caused mudslides, record-shattering rainfall and wind damage. So much damage is happening that you can see it from NASA in space. Around 250 miles away and through the atmosphere the extreme flooding is being seen.

For example, in the town of Bellingham, Washington, with a population of 88,000, extreme flooding has destroyed many homes and properties. After the floods, the citizens of this city used kayaks and jet skis to travel around the flooded streets. The damage done by floods will take lots of time and money to clean up and rebuild.

Sophomore Shea Riordan is saddened by the flooding in the Pacific Northwest. “I’ve always wanted to see Seattle and that may not happen because of the horrible flooding.” Many coastal cities are at risk for rising sea levels and destruction.

There was four confirmed casualty from this natural disaster. With around 20,000 more displaced from their homes because of floods. Many organizations have been helping the victims of these disasters. This is just one of many natural disasters that have caused casualties and property damage in the past years.