Evacuation shelters continued to fill early Sunday morning in areas near the Pajaro River, where a breached levee has forced thousands of people, many of them farmworkers, to flee from flood waters.
And in the distance, another second atmospheric river continued with Jaws-like relentlessness to push toward the California coast. Its projected path was expected to further affect the flooded areas, and perhaps create new ones.
“We’re keeping a close eye on the Salinas River,” Monterey County spokesperson Nicholas Pasculli said Sunday morning. “That’s a big concern for us (Sunday).”
A flood warning went into effect at 1 a.m. for the Salinas River near Spreckels, and residents there were urged to be prepared to seek higher ground. The river is a rare one is that it flows south to north, and Pasculli said areas along the river from Greenfield to the south and Gonzales in the north may be in peril.
As of Sunday morning, 3,400 people were under evacuation orders or warning in the Monterey County, according to Pasculli. Officials had received no reports that the flooding have not caused any injuries or deaths, he said.
Those who had to flee sought shelter at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds on East Lake Boulevard in Watsonville; the Compass Church on Main Street in Salinas; the Holy Trinity Church Hall on El Camino Real in Greenfield and the Salvation Army Contra Costa Division on Contra Costa Street in Seaside.
“There are still room at the shelters,” Pasculli said. “We are looking to add capacity.”
Related Articles
Weather |
Levee breach on Pajaro River in Monterey County prompts evacuations and rescues
Weather |
Atmospheric river storm brings headaches, traffic jams and wet weather, but Bay Area escapes severe damage
Weather |
Oroville Dam floodgates opened as storms fill massive reservoir
Weather |
Mudslides, threat of ‘wet vintage’ won’t dampen South Bay winemakers’ delight in record rainfall
Weather |
‘If it was your child, when would you give up?’ …read more
Source:: The Mercury News