By Susan D. Gould
senior staff writer
in photo at right: Severe flooding
washes out a levee on the east side of the Feather River in Yuba, Calif.,
damaging an orchard of prune trees and threatening the town of Marysville
to the south. Photo courtesy of Yuba County, Calif.
Counties in California have seen the most devastation, with some officials speculating it to be the most expensive flood in state history - price tag around $2 billion for damage; $155 million for agriculture.
In the higher elevations, warm temperatures triggered melting snow, causing washed out roads and mudslides. In the valleys, rivers broke levees, forcing evacuations and flooding farms, orchards and vineyards.
"We're still isolated," said a weary Plumas County Supervisor Bill Coates from the county seat of Quincy, where all three major routes into town are flooded out. The nearest town is 80 miles away.
The water is low enough in some places that emergency equipment can get through at certain times of the day, he explained. Food is being brought in by grocery trucks. Mail service was interrupted for at least four days, and is expected to be suspended for another four. "We've been without electricity and phone [service] part of the time," he added.
It will take weeks, in some cases months, before all three routes are reopened, he predicted. "[It] is going to be very difficult."
Damage is too difficult to assess because it's "hard to get around to find damage," he said. However, it's been confirmed that several bridges have washed out and parts of the Union Pacific Railroad's Feather River Route are damaged. "Rail is hanging in the air" in some places, Coates said.
Supplies such as sandbags had to be flown in, and the town of Quincy, Ill., which received supplies from Quincy, Calif. during its bout with flooding in 1993, returned the favor by donating bottled water.
"We're awfully glad the sun is shining," Coates remarked.
Dan Keppen, water resources engineer, for Tehama County, got a call from his supervisor on New Year's Day morning advising him to stay home since flooding conditions had worsened where he was to report for work. Fortunately Keppen and his family live 35 minutes south in Chico, on high ground.
Six to seven inches of rain fell two nights in a row, combining with melting snow in the Sierra Nevada foothills, causing the Sacramento River and its tributaries to overflow. Some 80-year-old residents recalled it being the highest levels of water they'd ever seen.
Between 100 and 150 people were evacuated from flooded areas, according to Sheriff Robert Heard.
The Sacramento River, which cuts through the middle of the county, is still raging, Keppen said, and it will be at least a week before the river subsides since water is still being released from the Shasta Reservoir.
Overall damage estimates are incomplete; however, the 1,000 feet of broken levee at Deer Creek will cost about $2 million to fix and $1 million will be needed to repair private levees.
Homes in the area sustained $752 million in damage, and farmers took a loss in prune and almond crops. There were no reports of lost livestock, according to Sheriff Heard. "The cowboys were right on top of that."
At the confluence of the Yuba and Feather rivers, Yuba County saw water rise to 15 feet in some areas. Four hundred homes are still flooded out in the Olivehurst area, said Yuba County Supervisor Hal Stocker, but residents should return in a few days.
Jan. 2 was the worst day, he recalled, when officials were forced to release water from the Oroville Reservoir, resulting in the evacuation of 37,000 people from nearby Oroville and Marysville. Six thousand of them bunked down at nearby Beale Air Force Base, while others headed for higher ground and surrounding counties.
There's been only one presumed drowning death so far, however, two women were reported missing.
Total damage in the county is estimated at $165 million said Bill Harris, information services officer for the county. One hundred fifty homes were totally lost and 30 businesses sustained major damage, he added. Local farmers saw damage to walnuts, peaches and plums.
"There will be a great deal of damage to roads," Stocker said,
but "no significant damage" to community water systems. The county
is providing free inspections for residents with private wells.