Posted on 01/02/2006 11:30:11 AM PST by NormsRevenge
GUERNEVILLE, Calif. (AP) - Northern Californians focused Monday on cleaning up a mess of mud and debris swept into city streets and over roadways by two powerful winter storms as the heavy rain moved into Southern California, prompting flash flood watches for areas left blackened by recent wildfires.
Initial estimates put the damage throughout Northern California at more that $100 million.
Meanwhile, authorities continued to repair and monitor several levees that had either breached, cracked or overtopped from the San Francisco Bay area to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, causing flooding and evacuations of dozens of residents.
The break in the weather meant residents of Guerneville along the Russian River and other wine-country towns were able to focus Monday on initial cleanup and damage estimates.
The Russian River at Guerneville had receded several feet after remaining for hours at 41 feet - 9 feet about flood stage - but officials said it likely wouldn't fall below flood stage until Tuesday morning.
Hundreds of homes were flooded but most of the downtown area was spared, Sonoma County spokesman Dan Levin said Monday.
"When it goes down below its banks, that's when the real cleanup begins," Levin said.
He said live power lines were down throughout the area, and officials were warning residents to stay away.
Elsewhere, rain fell from the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles, drenching the route of the Rose Bowl parade. Rain intensified and the wind kicked up as the parade started, bending umbrellas and whipping rain slickers.
Southern California authorities said there were no reports of flooding or mudslides in areas where last summer's wildfires stripped vegetation from hills.
However, heavy rain was forecast throughout the day, with totals of up to 4 inches in the coastal valleys and 6 inches in the mountains, said Jamie Smith, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Oxnard.
The storm was drenching the Central Coast on its way south Monday morning, causing flooding and mudslides throughout Santa Cruz County.
At least two deaths were blamed on the storm, both of them caused by falling trees, authorities said.
The Marin County town of San Anselmo, north of San Francisco, suffered some $40 million in damages after a flooded creek inundated downtown under 4 feet of water, coating city streets with mud. Officials estimated some 50 downtown businesses were damaged.
About two miles west in Fairfax, three homes were nearly wiped out by mudslides.
Water also receded in the heart of wine country along the Napa River, which reached 5 feet above flood stage at the town of Napa and inundated several downtown blocks. By Monday morning, the river was at about 20 feet, five feet below flood stage.
Napa officials said some 600 homes and 150 businesses were flooded, causing an estimated $50 million in damages. A layer of mud and debris coated city streets but most flooded roads had been reopened by Monday.
Saturday's storm had dumped an average of 4 to 5 inches in Northern California, with parts of Napa County getting up to 9 inches in less than 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Up to 3 inches of additional rain fell in parts of Sonoma County in Northern California on Sunday.
The California Army National Guard used all-terrain vehicles in Guerneville to pick up residents stranded in their homes by high water.
"We were worried that we wouldn't be able to get out," said Dan Aljoe, 59, who came up to Guerneville from Alameda with friends to ring in the New Year.
"These guys were marvelous to pick us up," he said Sunday night.
Strong winds and heavy rain threatened several levees across the state, including at least two in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where water splashed over the top of a levee at Collinsville, forcing 40 people from about 15 homes, Don Strickland of the Department of Water Resources said Monday.
Authorities were keeping an eye Monday on several towns along the Sacramento River from Rio Vista to Collinsville in anticipation of an early evening high tide that could again wash water over the levees, Strickland said.
In Novato, authorities on Monday worked to repair a levee breach that flooded about a dozen homes.
Heavy snow fell across the Sierra Nevada on Monday, from Lake Tahoe south to Mammoth Mountain ski resort, where several avalanches shut down Highway 395, the main north-south route along the eastern Sierra, said John Rutkowski, an investigator with the Mono County Sheriff's Department.
Mammoth reported 3 feet of new snow overnight, with several more feet expected to fall throughout the day. The resort was closed Monday.
"The town is pretty much at a standstill," Rutkowski said.
The National Weather Service issued an avalanche warning for the Mono County area through 4 p.m. Monday.
Interstate 80 about 25 miles west of Reno was completely reopened Sunday, a day after mudslides shut down the entire roadway.
Chains or snow tires were required on all mountain passes, including I-80 over Donner Summit and U.S. 50 over Echo Summit, the main routes connecting Nevada to Northern California.
Al Quaeda's got a weather machine
Did looting occur ? Did FEMA arrive yet ?
/sarc
Well that storm may have moved south but we're being dumped on right now by another big storm. I think somebody may have jumped the gun with the claim that the flooding is over.
Just talked with a relative there. Said the wind is also a major problem.
It was kinda weird watching a fairly windy and rainy Rose Parade from only a hundred miles east - where it was sunny and calm (beginning to cloud up somewhat now, though, for an expected late afternoon spritz)...
Snowing heavily in Reno now, which is a nice change from the deluge of the past week. Sparks was flooded Friday night; Truckee River is still high with a chance of more flooding, but with the snow level down to ~4500' we may dodge that bullet.
Yup, still raining here too! Nor Cal is NOT dry yet!
Happy New Year Norm
Just had a good cell go thur Anaheim lots of wind
It looks like that storm that was supposed to zip on through yesterday has halted. We're still getting pounded here in Petaluma.
Happy New Year as well, albaby!
Out local forecast says we clear out after today for week or so, but looking at post#11 and all the stuff still way off shore in the Pacific, Im not so sure. That stuff is gonna go somewhere, preferably Texas and Oklahoma, but..
Howdy Norm! Happy New Year.
We've gotten over 5 1/2 inches of rain since last night. I've been without water since Friday. Today our 3 1/2 mile road has five major closures, and a house was crushed by a tree. No one hurt, thankfully. It's odd to see so much water falling but none in the pipes. Arrgh.
Looks like the radar shows a bunch more sitting on top of this area today as well..
I've seen about 4 inches the last few days here, which is quite a bit for such a short timespan.
Hang in there and Happy New Year.
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