A historic storm system which left tens of thousands without power and at least one person dead is continuing to wreak havoc in Northern California, with multiple levees reportedly failing Sunday.
Dozens reportedly had to be rescued by emergency crews who used large vehicles, boats and even a helicopter to pluck stranded drivers from the roofs of their vehicles, after flash flooding resulted from an “atmospheric river” that drenched the region Saturday night.
Major roads faced partial or complete closures, including Interstate 80, Highway 101, Highway 99, and Highway 580.
What the National Weather Service called “one of the wettest New Year’s Eves on record,” saw downtown San Francisco inundated with 5.46 inches of rain, making it the city’s second-wettest day since 1849.
With 4.75 inches of rain, Oakland saw its wettest day since 1970. Much of Sacramento got around three inches of rain in the 24-hour period.
As of 10 PM Eastern time, at least 16,000 Northern California residents still had no electricity, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s outage map showed. With levee failures continuing to mount, still more are at risk from flooding.
In southeast Sacramento County, many living in the town of Wilton were advised to seek higher ground following a levee failure along the Cosumnes River Saturday night.
And on Sunday afternoon, with the Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers continuing to rise, officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for the town of Point Pleasant.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for much of the area south of Sacramento until 11:15 PM Eastern time, with general Flood Warnings in effect until further notice.
And those stuck dealing with the aftermath of the historic storm aren’t in the clear yet.
Residents who were forced to decide between fleeing rising waters and sheltering in place are bracing for another major storm this week, which is expected to bring more heavy rains and gusts of up to 50 miles per hour Wednesday night and Thursday morning.