Heavy rain, winds topple trees, prompt mudslides and floods

More rain, wind and saturated soil sent trees falling into power lines, rivers over their banks, mud sliding down hills and cars tangling on roadways from North Bend to Bellevue on Tuesday.

Heavy flows on Issaquah Creek washed out a portion of the Issaquah-Hobart Road near Tiger Mountain in the afternoon, forcing King County to close the road between 255th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 164th Street.

Major work, including repairs to the roadbed and construction of a 14-foot-deep rock wall to protect the road from further erosion, will keep the route closed until Jan. 19, weather permitting. Motorists are advised to use Tiger Mountain Road as a detour.

Minor flooding along the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers and elsewhere prompted some road closures. Water over the roadway closed Northeast 165th Street from 183rd Place Northeast to 179th Place Northeast near Cottage Lake and near Sammamish along Northeast 50th Street between Highway 202 and Sahalee Way Northeast.

In Bothell, crews picked up after the mess left by a tree that fell onto Highway 522 Monday night near Wayne Curve, hitting a vehicle. The driver was not injured.

Heavy rain also sent Palm Creek over its banks at 31st Avenue Southeast and 228th Street Southeast. No damage was reported.

In Bellevue, a fallen tree forced crews to close a section of 132nd Avenue Northeast for several hours. As night fell, about 2,000 customers in Fall City and Carnation lost power for about an hour and police scanners crackled with news of Eastside accidents.

For updated flood information, go to http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/flood/flood.htm or the regional emergency Web site at www.govlink.org. A recorded flood-information hotline is updated each hour at 800-945-9263. Report problems on county maintained roads at 800-KC-ROADS.