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Good morning, Northwest.

Relief is in sight as the atmospheric river that has caused flooding and power outages over the past few days continues to move out of Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Before the National Weather Service says the flood watch remains in effect through this afternoon, OPB reporters take a look at how heavy rainfall from the atmospheric river has impacted the region.

Plus, in an updated complaint filed yesterday as part of an ongoing lawsuit, the Oregon Department of Justice says evidence suggests U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has quietly been crafting plans to build a facility that could house hundreds of immigrant detainees. OPB reporter Dirk VanderHart has the details.

With Christmas Day less than a week away, OPB’s Ian McCluskey looks at how a rail speeder toy drive has spread holiday spirit each year on the Oregon Coast.

Here’s your First Look at Saturday’s news.

— Winston Szeto

Rain batters Oregon and Southwest Washington as flood watches remain in effect

River water swirled around garage doors and bedroom windows as it flowed through the Carver Mobile Home Ranch park in Clackamas County yesterday morning.

Some homes in the park were among many partially underwater after heavy rainfall forced the Clackamas River and other waterways to swell and flood areas southeast of Portland.

It comes after an atmospheric river brought heavy rainfall to large swaths of Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington this week. A flood watch remains in effect until 4 p.m. today. (Andrew Theen, Saskia Hatvany, Kyra Buckley and Joni Auden Land)

Learn more

Related: Flooding damages multiple homes in Clackamas County, as residents take stock (Joni Auden Land)

3 things to know this morning

• Yesterday, attorneys for the state of Oregon asked a federal judge to block construction of an immigrant detention center in Newport, arguing the Trump administration has not gone through the proper channels to do so. (Dirk VanderHart)
• There have been 956 reports of mistreatment and complaints made by youth in custody of the state’s juvenile justice system this year. It’s the highest number of complaints filed since 2019, ranging from reports of abuse to complaints about the conditions of the facility. (Lauren Dake)
• At least 372 people died while experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County in 2024. It’s the first decrease in deaths recorded from one year to the next since the county began collecting this data in 2011. The data reflect an 18% decrease in the number of homeless deaths from the year prior. (Alex Zielinski)

Headlines from around the Northwest

• Legacy Health tells striking workers they will lose health coverage on Jan. 1 (Amelia Templeton) 
• Why insurers are covering a $4,500 EpiPen alternative — and calling it a cost saver (Lillian Karabaic) 
• As floodwaters recede, King County farmers face daunting cleanup (Amy Radil)
• DOJ vowed to punish those who disrupt Trump’s immigration crackdown. Dozens of cases have crumbled (Michael Biesecker, Jaimie Ding, Christine Fernando, Claire Rush and Ryan J. Foley)

Rail speeder toy drive spreads holiday spirit along a scenic track on the Oregon Coast

On a cold, drizzly morning last October, a school teacher and a small group of parents and kids waited beside the train tracks in Mapleton, an unincorporated community of about 500 people just east of Florence.

They listened for the distant sound of steel wheels clattering down the old tracks.

The tracks belong to the Port of Coos Bay and have historically been the primary rail line connecting the central Oregon Coast to the city of Eugene and the Willamette Valley.

But on this day, the train cars coming down the line were not hauling lumber or heavy freight, but teddy bears and toys.

This special arrival was the Teddy Bear Toy Express, an annual charity drive that stops in small towns along the route, collecting toys for children in need during the holidays.

This year’s run wrapped up in October.

What used to be utilitarian machines for track inspectors and maintenance crews have been repurposed into rolling transports of nostalgia, adventure, and, in this case, community service. (Ian McCluskey)

Learn more

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/20/flood-watch-oregon-washington-opb-first-look/