North Bay residents got a break from this week’s storms and a chance to see more of the damage from all the rainfall on Wednesday.
The Russian River crested in Guerneville Wednesday morning, and Chad Hall, with Sonoma County Fire, explained that most of the incidents his department was called to on Wednesday were in and around Guerneville.
Hall said that firefighters rescued several people from floodwaters on Neeley Road. No injuries were reported.
Some roads remained closed Wednesday evening as residents waited for the floodwaters to recede.
Around Guerneville, some cars and properties visible from the roadway were flooded. Other properties further out along River Road were flooded, too. Park benches, basketballs and wood planks were seen floating along the Russian River.
Residents told NBC Bay Area they breathed a sigh of relief to see the sunny skies on Wednesday.
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Near Johnson’s Beach, longtime residents said that while they’ve seen higher floodwaters, the current flood levels still bring a significant amount of water to contend with.
“Soon as this water recedes, there’s a lot of cleanup to do —whether you had things out or not — people's stuff floats into your yard, and your stuff floats into other people’s yards,” explained Suzie Martinez, who’s lived in Guerneville for more than three decades.
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More rain is forecast over the coming week.
In Santa Rosa, Julia Bastianon said she left once she received the text to evacuate.
Bastianon said she lives right behind a home that took a direct hit from a landside. She ad her family didn't want to risk the red-tagged home sliding down toward their home.
"After the fires we’re kind of used to this kind of constantly evacuating and being ready at all times," Bastianon said.
A tagged home means it's uninhabitable until inspectors deem it safe.
Robert Boys said he could tell his wife was scared when a landslide hit their home, leaving her and their daughter trapped.
"It was difficult to understand what she was saying, and she was obviously panicking, and she didn’t know if she could get out, and it was just too scary," Boyd said.
Firefighters rescued Boyd's wife and daughter from the home before red-tagging it.
"As far as we know, the rainfall has been four or five days it got to saturation point in the ground and probably about 25 feet of mud just kind of slid into the house and took out the house," he said.
Sonoma County Fire said they’re especially worried about the ground, which is already oversaturated with water. Firefighters have seen homes already impacted by landslides during this storm and there’s worry that threat could grow in the days ahead.
