Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Another big storm swamps California

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. - The second major storm in two days washed across Northern California on Sunday, prolonging the threat of flooding as residents tried to clean up thick layers of mud and debris left behind as the first wave of floodwater receded.

Three more inches of rain in the already water-logged region Sunday pushed the Napa River back toward flood stage in the wine country town of St. Helena.

Levees were breached in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, forcing as many as 100 people to evacuate Twitchell Island, and along the Sacramento River near Collinsville in Solano County. Winds sent water over the levee walls, which began cracking under the pressure, said Paula Toynbee, spokeswoman for the Solano County Sheriff's Department.

Hundreds of homes and businesses across the region had been inundated Saturday as heavy rain sent the Napa and Russian rivers spilling over their banks.

In many areas, the rivers and creeks were back within banks, though some towns remained flooded or flooded again as the rain, heavy at times, came and went throughout the day Sunday. The Sonoma County town of Guerneville was among those still fighting floodwater amid pouring rain.

At least 2 more inches of rain was forecast across Northern California on Sunday, on top of the 4 to 9 inches that had already swamped the region, the National Weather Service said.

Wildfire-damaged areas of Southern California were also under a flash flood watch and a threat of mudslides as heavy rain headed their way. In Pasadena, floral floats were being prepared for what could be the first rainy Rose Parade in half a century today.

Massive mudslides kept road crews busy moving rock and debris that shut down Interstate 80 through the Sierra Nevada and other roads across the region.

In Guerneville, where the Russian River crested 10 feet above flood stage early Sunday, the downtown was largely spared but low-lying areas and an unknown number of homes flooded, said Linda Eubanks of Sonoma County's Office of Emergency Services.

In San Anselmo, about 20 miles north of San Francisco, streets were coated with mud and business owners sorted through mounds of damaged goods Sunday, a day after floodwater 4 feet deep spread through downtown.

Mud and debris also covered the streets of downtown Napa, where officials estimated about 1,000 homes and an unknown number of businesses had flooded, as well as thousands of acres of rural land in the county. The river had crested 5 feet above flood stage in Napa on Saturday.

At least one death in California was blamed on the storm, a man killed by a falling tree in Vacaville, authorities said.

[Last modified January 2, 2006, 02:30:25]