Floods devastate Washington's rural areas, leaving heavy cleanup work

The worst of the flooding in Western Washington may have eased, but as the swollen rivers recede, the long and dirty work of recovery and cleanup begins.

For Sandy Frohning and her son, who run a small dairy farm on the banks of the Skykomish River, flooding is nothing new.

"We've been through a lot of floods. This is not our first rodeo. But this is probably the most tree damage and mud we've ever had," Frohning said.

The water rose more than two meters, swamping their fields and basement, and threatening this family's livelihood.

They were able to move their cows to higher ground just in time. But when the water finally dropped, it left behind thick mud, debris, and a lot of work.

For two days in a row, neighbors and even strangers showed up to help.

"Just like anybody in need, when there's something that happens, you want to show up for them. There is so much cleanup that has to be done," said Brett Devries, a cleanup volunteer.

With the stalls cleared out, they were able to bring the cows back - letting Frohning breathe a sigh of relief.

"We know without a doubt that we don't stand alone. The burden is shared. That makes all the difference," she said.

The historic flooding brought devastation to rural communities across Western Washington - inundating properties and forcing thousands to evacuate.

Floods devastate Washington's rural areas, leaving heavy cleanup work

Floods devastate Washington's rural areas, leaving heavy cleanup work

Floods devastate Washington's rural areas, leaving heavy cleanup work

Floods devastate Washington's rural areas, leaving heavy cleanup work

The inaugural International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilizations opened in China's Macao Special Administrative Region on Tuesday, attracting over 300 participants.

The forum, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, brings together representatives of government and international organizations, and leading experts from around the world to have dialog and academic exchanges.

Under the theme of "Mutual Learning among Civilizations, Inheritance and Development," the conference features two parallel sub-forums -- "Mutual Learning among Civilizations and Diverse Coexistence" and "Conservation and Sustainable Development of Cultural Heritage"-- alongside a series of academic salons. It will also feature nearly 20 keynote speeches and discussions.

At the forum, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR government O Lam highlighted Macao's historical role as a bridge between civilizations.

"This is Macao, strong in a gentle mood, adhering to tradition in fashion, maintaining peace, harmony, courtesy and integrity. Human civilization has never advanced without exchanges and mutual learning. Macao's recent history of five centuries stands as a living record of the harmonious coexistence and common development of Chinese and Western civilizations. Here, there has been no clash of civilizations, only cultural convergence; no hierarchy of values, only dialog on an equal footing. Macao, with its history of integration of Chinese and Western civilizations, offers practical evidence, and will continue to evidence that the old logic of zero-sum game is unsustainable, while cooperation and harmony represent the true direction of human civilization," she said.

Qian Chengdan, professor of history from Peking University, also underscored the importance of civilizational diversity.

"Diversity of civilizations is among the most fundamental and vital attributes of humankind. It is hard to imagine a world with only one civilization, one voice. If there were only one single civilization and one single voice, mutual learning among civilizations will be out of the question," he said.

Macao hosts inaugural International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilizations