As floodwaters swelled around Washington, threatening low-lying communities along rivers, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a statewide emergency declaration on Wednesday.

Ferguson said he’d also seek an expedited emergency declaration from the federal government in response to the flooding, which is the result of an atmospheric river that has dumped multiple inches of rain in parts of the state since Monday.

A National Weather Service forecast for Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon showed 6 to 8 inches of rain in communities on the western edge of the Cascades, like Concrete, Gold Bar and Darrington. Even more rain was forecast at higher elevations.

“Lives will be at stake in the coming days,” Ferguson said in a press conference at Camp Murray near Tacoma, urging people to follow evac

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