Hundreds of people in the agricultural community of Pajaro in Monterey County were forced to flee their homes when the Pajaro River levee breached Friday night following a day of heavy rain, prompting authorities to call in the California National Guard to rescue stranded residents from floodwaters, county officials said.
The breach happened at around midnight just upstream from Pajaro near Watsonville. As of Saturday morning, the breach was around 100 feet wide, officials said.
Flooding is massive in #Pajaro in Monterey County, impacting our 1,700 residents
I’ve reached out to President #JoeBiden & Governor to invite them visit Pajaro as soon as possible
The need will be great! Will take months for our residents to repair homes! pic./0vBXUgezo9
— Luis Alejo () March 11, 2023
The National Guard assisted first responders with 56 rescues in the area, authorities said. Search and rescue teams remain on site and more are on their way. State and local engineers are assessing the damage and determining next steps.
The community of Pajaro is home to around 1,700 residents, many of whom are Latino farmworkers.
On Twitter, Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo called on President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to visit the damage “as soon as possible.”
“The need will be great! Will take months for our residents to repair homes!” Alejo said.
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Source:: The Mercury News