Storms Assault Pacific Northwest

Glass shops in the Pacific Northwest have seen business slow down over the past two days as a result of rain and hurricane force winds-but the extent of damage to the area indicates that business won't be slow for long.

Several inches of rain have fallen in the region since Sunday as the result of two different storm systems, causing school and government offices to close. At least four deaths have been blamed on these back-to-back storms.

Landslides, blocked roads, downed trees and power outages were prevalent across the region. The governors of both Washington and Oregon declared states of emergency.

The magnitude of the storm's destruction depended on geographic location. While one source in Seattle stated that there was no major damage, aside from “wet basements,” in her area, Dena Orndorff of Advance Glass in Olympia, Wash., says there is “flooding everywhere.”

"It is unbelievable to see," she continues. " We've never seen anything like it."

While Orndorff states business is currently "slow" as a result of the flooding, she is most concerned about the condition of Advance Glass' Shelton, Wash., location as conditions are so bad that employees "cannot even get there."

The storms' destruction was felt even beyond Orndorff's own business interests, as she mentioned that her brother-in-law recently had installed on the windows on a local eatery, which was then destroyed Monday by a mudslide.

"It was just devastating," says Orndorff, as she explained that the proprietors had staked everything they had in their business.

Unfortunately, for Orndorff and others, the National Weather service forecast calls for showers to continue through Wednesday.

CLICK HERE to read more on the Pacific Northwest storms.

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