Drought-ending storms swamp Northwest
Flooding, heavy snow inundate California, Oregon and Washington
HOLLISTER, Calif. — Rescue workers used boats and firetrucks to evacuate dozens of Northern California residents from their flooded homes Wednesday as a drought-busting series of storms began to move out of the region after days of heavy rain and snow that toppled trees and created havoc as far north as Portland, Ore.
Reports of the flooding started about 2 a.m. Wednesday as water from a quickly rising creek in the small rural town of Hollister deluged homes on a two-lane stretch of road called Lovers Lane.
Torrents of rain gushed down the street even after rescuers finished evacuating residents more than seven hours later. Some homes had mud lines about 5 feet high, marking how far the water rose. The water by that time was receding but still waist-deep in places.
“It’s just a lot of water,” said Kevin O’Neill, emergency services manager for San Benito County. “Fields that look like lakes. The ground just can’t soak it up. ”
Lifelong Hollister resident Ted Zanella, 54, called the flooding a rare event.
“I feel bad for the people who were evacuated,” he said, “but in a weird way, it’s Mother Nature’s way.”
Forecasters said precipitation would continue through today.
The massive rain and snowfall that prompted a rare blizzard warning in parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains is helping much of Northern California recover from a six-year drought. The series of storms has also added 39 billion gallons of water to Lake Tahoe since Jan. 1.
Stormy weather extended north where Portland and southwest Washington were slammed with a surprising foot of snow, unusual for an area that normally sees rain. Crater Lake National Park in Oregon closed Tuesday and into Wednesday with more than 8 feet of snow on the ground.
The staggering snow totals in the Sierra Nevada —up to 11 feet the past week at some ski resorts around Lake Tahoe — was great for easing drought conditions but bad for area ski enthusiasts as road closures and avalanche threats kept most resorts closed for the third day in a row Wednesday.
About 2,000 people in Wilton, a rural community near Sacramento, were asked to leave their homes Tuesday evening as emergency crews worked to try to bolster a levee alongside the Cosumnes River. The river reached flood level early Wednesday, leaving farmland flooded and roads blocked.
“I haven’t heard of anyone who actually had damage yet, but the water is still coming downhill,” said Mary Campfield, 62.