Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California River Receding After Flooding 2,000 Buildings
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 28, 2019

Share

GUERNEVILLE — Floodwaters that turned two Northern California wine country communities into islands reachable only by boat began receding Thursday after a rain-engorged river finally peaked after swamping thousands of homes and businesses.

No injuries were reported in the Guerneville area and by Wednesday night the rain had eased but about 3,500 people in two dozen river communities remained under evacuation orders.
The Russian River in wine country north of San Francisco crested at more than 46 feet Wednesday night, Sonoma County officials said. The water is not expected to return to the river’s banks until late Thursday.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that officials received no calls for help overnight from hundreds of people who stayed in their homes instead of heeding evacuation orders.
The river frequently floods in rainy weather but it had not reached that level in 25 years. The estimated 2,000 inundated buildings were mainly in and around the community of Guerneville, said Briana Khan, a Sonoma County spokeswoman.
“Guerneville has essentially become an island,” Khan said. The nearby town of Monte Rio also was isolated when roads leading to it were swamped.
The river was one of several in Northern California that was engorged by days of rain from western U.S. storms that also dumped heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada, throughout the Pacific Northwest and into Montana, where Gov. Steve Bullock issued an emergency order to help keep up the supply of heating fuel amid frigid temperatures.
No injuries were reported in the Guerneville area and by Wednesday night the rain had eased but about 3,500 people in two dozen river communities remained under evacuation orders.

Dozens of People Rescued From Cars

In addition, two sewage treatment plants were not working, leading to concerns about potential sewage spills, she added.
Elsewhere in the western U.S., two Amtrak trains together carrying nearly 300 passengers stopped and reversed directions because of an avalanche that closed railroad tracks in the Sierra Nevada and shut down service between Sacramento and Reno, Nevada.
In Idaho, the mountain town of Stanley became marooned Wednesday after all three highways leading to the town were closed because of drifting snow, avalanches and the risk of more slides.
Several areas in California set record-high rainfall totals, including nearby Santa Rosa, which had nearly 8 inches of rain in one day. The often-waterlogged Venado weather station 5 miles from Guerneville recorded more than 20 inches of rain in 48 hours.
Dozens of people were rescued from cars that became stranded after drivers tried to cross flooded roads.
Nina Sheehan, who is visiting from North Carolina, had to abandon her rental SUV after it got stuck in a flooded hotel parking lot.
“We made a decision to take the rental car through the waist-high water and we got two thirds of the way and then the car stalled,” she said.
Rhondell Rasmus had pulled to the side of a road too flooded to cross in Sebastopol in Sonoma County late Tuesday night and emergency dispatchers told her to wait for help. But just before dawn, she awoke to find the car was nearly submerged and she was out of gas.

Streets Became Seas of Muddy Brown Water

“The water just came up so fast next to my car, it was crazy,” she told the Press-Democrat newspaper of Santa Rosa.
She wound up in an emergency shelter, bringing with her a handbag, a backpack and a pair of rain boots.

“Anything that’s been flooded you’ve got to rip it out, sanitize everything…and rebuild. Everything’s fixable.” — Jeff Bridges, a hotel co-owner
In Guerneville, streets became seas of muddy brown water. Jeff Bridges, a hotel co-owner who is president of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce, spent the day canoeing through town and gave a ride to a couple and their dog who were stranded in a low-lying apartment.
Five people whose homes were flooded were bunking down at his two-bedroom home.
“We saw quite a few fish swimming by my front porch,” he said.
Bridges said this flood was the fourth he’s experienced in 33 years and the locals took the disaster calmly.
“It’s the price you pay to live in paradise,” he said. “Buffalo, New York puts up with blizzards. Miami and Houston put up with hurricanes…we have floods.”
However, Bridges said it will take weeks to clean up his R3 Hotel, as he has done in past floods. More than 8 feet of water inundated the 23-room business.
“Anything that’s been flooded you’ve got to rip it out, sanitize everything…and rebuild,” he said, but added nonchalantly: “Everything’s fixable.”

DON'T MISS

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

DON'T MISS

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

DON'T MISS

Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs to Promote US Manufacturing, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

DON'T MISS

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

DON'T MISS

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

DON'T MISS

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

DON'T MISS

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

DON'T MISS

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

DON'T MISS

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

UP NEXT

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

UP NEXT

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

UP NEXT

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

UP NEXT

Xavier Becerra Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race

UP NEXT

Inside a $17 Billion Maintenance Backlog Plaguing California’s Universities

UP NEXT

California Lawmakers Reject Bills to Restrict Transgender Youth in School Sports

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

UP NEXT

California Just Blew Its First Deadline for Voter-Approved Healthcare Measure

UP NEXT

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

UP NEXT

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

12 hours ago

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

12 hours ago

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

12 hours ago

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

12 hours ago

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

13 hours ago

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

13 hours ago

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

13 hours ago

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

14 hours ago

Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the US

14 hours ago

Fresno Man Found Dead, Coroner’s Office Seeks Help Finding Family

14 hours ago

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday night that would thwart President Donald Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada, ...

7 hours ago

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, is joined from left by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., as they speak to reporters about President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign countries, at the Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
7 hours ago

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

10 hours ago

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

11 hours ago

Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs to Promote US Manufacturing, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

A young Labrador mix rescued from a Fresno canal on Sunday, March 2, 2025, is thriving in a foster home after overcoming fear and trauma. (Instagram/Fresno Animal Center)
12 hours ago

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

12 hours ago

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

12 hours ago

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

12 hours ago

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

13 hours ago

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend