Sacramento —

After days of devastating flooding from the Pacific coast to the Central Valley, communities in California Wednesday as the weather-weary state found itself on yet another path in a stormy parade. started a repair and cleanup effort.

Modern system – 7th atmospheric river A rainstorm has set the state on fire since Christmas. Widespread flooding, landslides, swept roads, fallen trees and power lines further overwhelmed an already reeling state.

“I think it’s time for this kind of notoriety,” said Alan Vidunas as he walked through the run-down seaside town of Capitola with his 10-year-old dog, Chivas. “I always call my friends in Florida after a hurricane. They call me now.”

Capitola in Santa Cruz County is just one of many communities in California trying to avoid the damage wrought by the recent storms. Emblem on their bank. A tornado made temporary landfall in Calaveras County Tuesday morning, causing extensive tree damage. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Death toll from sudden powerful storm rose Wednesday after Sonoma County Sheriff’s Officials released figures Found dead in car Submerges in 8-10 feet of water. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Wednesday that a 33-year-old man was found dead in the American River on his January 3rd. Storm-related fatalities up to 19.

and a 5 year old boy Flooded in San Luis Obispo County on Monday He was still missing Wednesday night as more than 100 California National Guard members joined the search effort.

Authorities in many parts of the state moved toward recovery and repairs on Wednesday, while other areas were still in jeopardy as swollen rivers overflowed.

Late Wednesday night, nearly all areas along the Salinas River in Monterey County were under evacuation orders or warnings, as were parts of the Carmel Valley.

The Salinas River in the town of Spreckels entered a flood stage on Thursday afternoon and could peak Friday night, causing the second-highest flood levels on record, according to the California Department of Floods. Management department manager Jeremy Erlich said. of water resources.

If the river floods, it could close Routes 1 and 68, as well as Blanco Road, which cuts off access between Salinas, the county’s most populous city, and the Monterey Peninsula. .

“Residents of both the Peninsula and Salinas areas should expect to be shut off for two to three days,” Monterey County officials said. statement.

Sheriff Tina Nieto urged residents and businesses to prepare for “what we might call the ‘Monterey Peninsula Island,'” she said. Said at a press conference. “The Monterey Peninsula may become an island again, just like it did during the 1995 floods.”

great flood forced to evacuate The community of Planada, a town of about 4,000 just east of Merced.Water levels began to drop, but the Merced County Sheriff’s Office Said On Wednesday morning, it was “unsafe to return to flooded areas” and an evacuation order had not yet been issued.

County superintendent Rodrigo Espinosa said more than half of the town, home to many farm workers, was flooded. Officials wanted to rally government and non-profit resources to help people and worked furiously to upgrade the sewage treatment plant in Planada so no raw sewage would flow to an already destroyed community. It looks like

“Very sad,” he said. “We’re just trying to help people.”

Juana Garcia, 38, of Planada has been staying at a Holiday Inn in Chowchilla since being forced to evacuate with her family on Tuesday.

The storm flooded Garcia’s backyard, breaking down the fence and the kennel. Her house was a little higher than the others nearby, so it didn’t get wet inside. But when she headed to her mother’s house around 2 a.m. Tuesday, the water in her driveway was knee-deep.

“I have never experienced anything like this,” she said. “We just bought this house a month before her and were told we were in a flood zone and needed to get flood insurance. Never heard of that. ”

At least 100 families in Planada who were not in the evacuation area chose to ride out the storm, according to Alicia Rodriguez, an active community member.

Those left behind live without electricity for more than 24 hours, she added.

“They are helpless, scared, worried about their families and how to feed them,” she said. “They have no hope.”

About 33,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers in northern and central California remained without power due to a storm-related outage Wednesday night.utility has called it the “response to the single biggest winter storm” in its history.

“Flooding and access issues remain in some places, but the weather looks favorable for recovery in the next few days.” officials said.

Restoration work is underway with the threat of more storms looming, which could flood already flooded areas further over the weekend.

In the past 16 days, “much of central California has received more than half of its normal precipitation for the year.” according to National Weather Service. In Auckland it was 69%. Santa Barbara, 64%. Stockton, 60%. Downtown San Francisco, 59%. 50% in downtown Sacramento.

Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend described the recent storm as a “challenging once-in-a-generation event” that has affected the entire county.

“We know this is going to be a long rebuild. We know it will take a lot of resources,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday. “But what we need is a sense of resilience from all of us so that we can rebuild this region because we have seen the tears and we have seen the anger. I’m just trying to rebuild, give me back that hope.”

Michael Anderson, a climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources, said forecasts show a temporary reprieve after Jan. 20.

“We’ve got high pressure and a little chance to recover from these series of storms,” ​​he said.

But with so much water already flowing through the system, many rivers will continue to swell even after the rains have stopped.

“It’s something to watch out for, and that even as the storm subsides, hydrological conditions continue to evolve, especially in our larger rivers,” he said.

It is too early to estimate Damage from these storms could exceed $1 billionAdam Smith, an applied climatologist and disaster expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said: Storms in California will be the first multi-billion dollar disaster of 2023.

“We are here for the long haul, not just in this moment,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Tuesday.

Flood management department manager Arrich said five river locations in the state, including the Salinas River in Spreckels, are projected to pass the flood stage in the next few days. There are 23 river sites projected to be reached, but that number may change as the situation evolves.

Bear Creek in Merced County has seen “considerable activity” in recent days, he said. Field experts are working closely with the county to respond to incidents in the area, including deploying approximately 100,000 sandbags and a 576 linear foot portable he barrier known as Muscle Wall.

The community of Planada was affected by Miles Creek, which “essentially overcame the drainage channel and flooded that community,” Arrich said. Crews are responding to multiple levee breaches, mainly along streams downstream of Merced, he said.

“There’s a lot going on with that embankment,” he said. “It’s a pretty dynamic situation as these things go.”

As of Wednesday, four of the six weirs in the Sacramento River flood control system were running, including Moulton, Colsa, Fremont and Tisdale, he said. Officials do not expect the Sacramento weir to open.

Flood warnings are in effect for parts of Mariposa and Merced counties through Thursday morning. According to the Japan Meteorological AgencyFlood watches or advisories were put into effect for large areas of Northern California on Wednesday.

Winds aren’t as strong as they were earlier this week, but trees can still be knocked over, and coastal and mountain gusts of up to 60 miles per hour can be seen.

Hard-hit Santa Cruz Mountains and northern San Francisco Bay could see up to 3 inches of rain through Wednesday night, with less rain likely in East Bay, Monterey Bay and Central Coast . Wind gusts of up to 60 mph are also possible.

The chance of rain continues through Thursday.

It remains unclear whether the flooded North Bay will recover on Thursday, which it said would be “a bad scenario.” The Russian River in Guerneville, Sonoma County, narrowly avoided entering the flood stage in recent days, but briefly exceeded it before retreating on Thursday and again on Sunday.

The next storm is set to hit northern California Friday through Saturday, with a possible thunderstorm or two.

Another will strike on Sunday and could last from Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Tuesday.

Anderson said the expected eighth river storm would likely stretch across the state, with precipitation expected “from the Oregon border to San Diego.” The most deposits are found in the coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada.

The ninth storm that followed appears to be centered in the northern Sierra, or north of the Golden Gate region, but it’s entirely possible the forecast could change, he said.

Precipitation is expected to be about one to three inches, but Anderson said the incoming atmospheric rivers won’t be as strong as previous storms.

However, “the challenge is that they are the eighth and ninth in a series of storms, and their cumulative impact could cause more impact than the storms themselves.”

Times staff writers Haley Smith, Susanne Lust, and James Querrier contributed to this report.