Rain stops California mop-up

2006-01-02 13:28

Guerneville - A second major storm in two days washed across northern California, 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.

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

In many areas, the rivers and creeks were back on their banks on Sunday, although some towns remained flooded or they flooded again as the rain, heavy at times, came and went throughout the day.

The Sonoma county town of Guerneville was among those still fighting floodwater amid pouring rain.

At least 5cm more rain was forecast across northern California on Sunday, on top of the 10cm to 23cm that already had swamped the region, said the national weather service.

"It's coming in wetter and windier than expected," said Arthur Hinojosa, chief hydrologist with the state department of water resources.

First rainy parade in 55 years

Wildfire-damaged areas of Southern California were also under a flash-flood watch and a threat of mudslides as heavy rain headed in their direction.

In Pasadena, the Rose Parade's floral floats were being prepared for what could be the first rainy parade in half a century.

Massive mudslides kept road crews busy moving rock and debris that shut down Interstate 80 for a day through the Sierra Nevada.

On Sunday, water overflowed a levee in the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta, forcing as many as 100 people to evacuate Twitchell Island.

Along the Sacramento River near Collinsville in Solano county, several dozen people were evacuated as the strong winds thrashed the water above levee walls and cracked them under the pressure, said Paula Toynbee of Solano county sheriff's department.

"It's getting worse. It's actually tearing apart," she said.

In Guerneville, where the Russian River crested 3m above flood stage early on Sunday, the town area 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.

Officials were urging residents who had left to stay out for another day, and those who hadn't to evacuate. About 50 people were in emergency shelters, said Eubanks.

Hunt for avalanche dead

Mud and debris also covered the streets of Napa, where officials estimated about 1 000 homes and an unknown number of businesses had flooded, as well as thousands of hectares of rural land.

The storm moved into the Rocky Mountains on Sunday as a blizzard, making rescue efforts challenging after an avalanche killed two snowmobilers near Rocky Mountain National Park.

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

- AP