LOS ANGELES (AP) – Fast-moving floodwaters swept through mountain communities and residents fled homes below hillsides scarred by wildfires as the third – and largest – in the latest series of storms brought powerful rain Sunday and warnings about damaging mudslides.
The National Weather Service cautioned that the system was expected to gain strength throughout the day and could be the strongest storm in at least seven years. California has been swamped during a wet winter that has brought plenty of rain and snow after years of drought.
Residents in rural Santa Cruz County watched helplessly Sunday as the San Lorenzo River spilled over its banks for the second time this month, sending muddy water and debris into yards and homes. No injuries were reported.
“This is the fastest I’ve ever seen this river move. It’s already flowing under my house. I have maybe 2 feet of clearance before it’s in my living room,” Paradise Park resident Tammy Grove told the Sentinel newspaper.
Battalion Chief Aldo Gonzales with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the river is the highest he’s ever seen it.