Guerneville residents exasperated as they assess rapid flood damage

By Tara Campbell, J.R. Stone, and Lena Howland, Cornell Barnard

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Multiple storms are bringing wet weather back to the Bay Area with the wet pattern continuing into early this week. Sunday and Monday are Level 2 Moderate storms on the ABC7 Exclusive Storm Impact Scale. Sunday night though Monday morning will see another round of heavy rain. Monday morning could also see thunderstorms.

MONDAY 11 a.m.: Guerneville residents react to flood damage Schools in Guerneville are closed for the day on Monday after the city was hit with major flooding overnight.

Firefighters had to go door-to-door overnight, warning more than 100 residents to prepare to evacuate.

“I don’t want to do this, ahhh,” Shavon Harp, a Guerneville resident said as she put on a pair of waders so she can see what was left of her trailer after she evacuated around midnight.

“I’m trying to wade through the carnage here and see how high the water is on the other side, we’ll see what happens here in a minute,” she said. “This is like the 15th time this has happened.”

Fife Creek breached its banks overnight, flooding the small community north of downtown Guerneville, leaving a trail of damage across the city and shutting down schools on Monday.

“It’s disheartening, I probably am homeless so I just don’t have words, it’s scary, and it’s sad and it happens just so fast, with no warning, like there was no water on the ground from what I understand and like 20 minutes later, all the water was on the ground,” she said.

The Sonoma County Fire District went door-to-door around 1 a.m., checking on more than 100 people.

They say, most stayed and sheltered in place.

“In less than 20 minutes, 30-20 minutes, it flooded,” Al Mathers, a Guerneville resident said. “An hour and a half ago, I looked out my door, and my yard wasn’t even that flooded, now it’s up to my second step.”

And while Harp’s trailer appeared to be ok after she waded through the water, her cats are still missing and the cleanup is only in its early stages.

“It’s a mess, there’s propane tanks, wood, garbage, probably some sewage that may have spilled out but other than that, I would be concerned about the electrical, not making a connection,” Larry Metz, a Santa Rosa resident said.

Fire officials say the danger is not over yet, with more rain on the way mid-afternoon on Monday and water levels are expected to rise once again.

8 a.m.: Mudslide in Santa Clara County A mudslide blocked a roadway in Santa Clara County near Saratoga on Monday morning, Caltrans said.

The portion of state Highway 9 from Redwood Gulch Road to Sanborn Road is affected by the mud slide, Caltrans said on social media around 7:45 a.m.

Motorists are advised to use alternate routes.

A fallen tree shut down a roadway in San Mateo’s Baywood-Aragon neighborhood early Monday morning, police said.

The tree blocked traffic on West Fourth Avenue from Dartmouth Road to El Camino Real, the San Mateo Police Department said in an advisory around 5:10 a.m.

The affected roadway is expected to be closed until approximately 1 p.m. Monday or until the tree can be removed. Motorists are advised to use an alternate route.

San Mateo police reminded travelers to drive carefully in the rain and watch out for falling branches and debris that can cause damage to vehicles, windows, buildings, houses or anyone walking or driving in the area.

5 a.m.: North Bay flooding, evacuation preparations Residents of Guerneville in Sonoma County were told to prepare to evacuate amid localized flooding in the town early Monday morning.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in an advisory shortly before 2 a.m. that flood waters have risen in small creeks and streams in the northern areas of Guerneville due to weather conditions.

The American Red Cross has set up a response team in the parking lot at the Safeway supermarket in Guerneville, the Sheriff’s office said.

The Guerneville School District in Sonoma County will be closed on Monday due to the flooding, the county’s Office of Education said.

Video shows serious flooding happening right next to people’s homes.

The water is high enough to cover the tires on some cars, and it is filling the yards of certain homes.

There is also flooding in Forestville Monday morning.

New video shows police blocking a section of Highway 116 in Forestville near Torris Drive due to flooding.

ABC7 has been told a car in the water had to be towed away.

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