At least one person drowned in Redding on Sunday amid heavy rainfall and flooding in Northern California.
Redding Mayor Mike Littau described a harrowing overnight scene on flooded Highway 273, where a man was trapped in a vehicle as water poured in. Facing the violent storm, first responders could not reach the man before his emergency call disconnected.
“The phone died,” Littau wrote on Facebook. “A Redding police officer swam out into the water, broke the windows and pulled [the] victim to shore.”
The officer attempted CPR, but the man — later identified as Richard Michael Wilsey, 74 — was later pronounced dead, according to Littau.
In a separate dramatic incident, nine people were rescued Sunday from a home in Placer County where crews used a ladder to push a baby carrier across a raging river.
Gusty winds and heavy rainfall created what weather professionals called a “convergence line” that lingered over Shasta County for hours on Sunday, dropping more than 5 inches of rain in some areas.
The surge overwhelmed infrastructure and flooded much of the city, which is about 160 miles north of Sacramento.
Now, officials are “very concerned” that conditions could worsen throughout the week as the atmospheric river storm system heads south, threatening what the National Weather Service predicted could be the Southland’s stormiest Christmas in recent memory.
A heavy downpour in Placer County on Sunday caused rising water levels along the South Yuba river and prompted evacuation warnings for those living nearby. At 1:15 p.m., emergency responders performed an unusual rescue of nine people inside a bright red home perched on the banks of the river, which became suddenly surrounded by rising water.
Crews with the Truckee Fire Protection District extended a ladder horizontally over the surging river to evacuate those inside.
The festive-looking lodge is advertised on Airbnb as a one-of-a-kind vacation rental within driving distance of the Sugar Bowl ski resort. Truckee fire department spokesperson Ryan Ochoa told the Sacramento Bee it was not the first time emergency responders had been called to the home due to flooding.
“The house is built right along the river edge on a granite slab, and when the river swells it’s not uncommon for the water to start going around both sides of the house,” he said.
As much as 20 inches of rain deluged other areas of Northern California over the weekend, with the Plumas National Forest east of Chico recording more than 12 inches Sunday.
By Monday evening, rainfall totals in Sacramento were minimal and climbing.
In Placer County, the evacuation warning remained in effect along the South Yuba River. Although river levels had begun to drop, the storm was expected to intensify again Tuesday, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
“Please continue to use caution during changing weather conditions,” the sheriff’s office said in a Monday afternoon update. “Avoid flooded roadways and never attempt to drive through standing or moving water.”
Nearly all of California is under a flood watch, or soon will be. The watch will take effect across much of Southern California on Tuesday and is expected to expire Wednesday night, while large portions of Central and Northern California are forecast to remain at elevated flood risk through Friday.
“We have storm drains being cleared and areas of concern being identified for the next three days all around the City of Redding,” Littau said. “Today is a good day to prepare as we know more rain is coming.”
Meteorologists predict the storm could drop 4 to 8 inches of rain across much of Southern California, with the heaviest rainfall expected Wednesday. Conditions should largely clear up by Saturday, according to the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.
“Please take the necessary protective actions as flooding and debris flow will be a major issue this upcoming week,” the weather service warned.
Starting 11 a.m. Tuesday, evacuation warnings will be in effect in L.A. County areas near recent burn scars, including the Palisades and Eaton fire zones, where residents are urged to be prepared to leave quickly. Evacuation orders have been issued for specific properties at the highest risk of mud and debris flows. A map of impacted areas can be viewed here.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
