Oregon Public Broadcasting

Heavy rain Wednesday on the northern Oregon coast closed two highways.   Several people had to be rescued after their cars were swept off the road.  Pete Springer reports.

Highway crews are working to clear a mudslide about 15 miles east of Tillamook that closed Highway 6 for most of the night.

Meanwhile, flooding on Highway 101 between Highway 26 and Seaside closed the road to some vehicles, creating delays.

But the most dramatic flooding was near Fawcett Creek where high water swept two cars off the road.

Tillamook County firefighters were able to rescue a mother and two infants from one car, but had to call in a U.S. Coast Guard swift water rescue crew to help people in the second car.

Petty Officer Donald Lanaham was one of those rescuers.  He says when his crew arrived, they quickly set up ropes and waded into the river.

Donald Lanaham: “And then two people stay back on the shore, working the ropes, making sure that they had a—that we’re always connected to land.  The rescuers then went and retrieved the youngest child first, and we brought back one person at a time across the river until we got them all across.”

No injuries were reported.