California Residents Return to Utter Devastation after Flood Emergency, More Rain Expected

March 01, 2019 | by Cheryl Kahla

Californian residents returning to their homes are warned of continued flooding as more rain is expected to fall.

The Russian River flooded more than 2 000 homes. One resident lost their life and parts of northern California were transformed into "islands" as the flood waters continued to rise.

Residents rejoiced when the river slowly receded Thursday, but ABC News reports that more rain is expected in some areas.

Look what the #RussianRiverFlood brought in. The Farmhand, #Guerneville, California. #SonomaCounty Lisa and Jason Flint have been married 8 years. This was a dream. Been open 18 months. Did not have flood insurance. "It was too expensive." #abc7now This is Jason's 38th birthday pic.twitter.com/ojVueH28lg
— Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) March 1, 2019

One resident drowned while trying to get to his home. He walked through 5 feet of water to reach his trapped children but was carried away by the stream.

The river reached 46 feet on Wednesday night, while the flood stage is only at 32 feet. It's the highest recorded level in more than 20 years.

Amy Hollyfield from ABC News will be following up with County Officials today regarding rainfall predictions for the weekend.

On Friday, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office confirmed that evacuation orders were issued for residents of the Guerneville and Monte Rio areas.

However, residents were urged to apply extreme caution when returning to their homes as rescue workers are still in the process of clearing the roads of debris.