Hundreds of 911 calls into Sacramento County dispatch, dozens of rescues

SACRAMENTO -- The first Sunday of 2023 started slow in a dispatch center that serves Sacramento County but quickly picked up as rain, flooding, and winds carried dozens of cars off roadways and trapped drivers in floodwaters along Dillard Road near Highway 99.

On an average day, the Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center receives 550-570 calls a day. On Sunday, New Year's Day, the dispatch center received 900 calls. The day before, the center received 1,000. That's twice the average number of calls. 

Requests came in for help from drivers trapped in their vehicles, trapped in floodwaters in flash flood areas, and homeowners trapped and unable to receive oxygen deliveries due to downed trees and power outages. The callers in winter weather were, typically, disoriented. Their cars had been carried off roadways due to flash flooding and many were stuck in areas there, typically, shouldn't be water. 

The California Highway Patrol reported Thursday they have towed more than 100 cars damaged in floodwater and left abandoned. 

Julee Todd, an operations manager at the Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center, told CBS13 their team of 32 people serves Sacramento County every day. Sunday, as a historic storm moved through the region, that didn't change. The team worked on 18-hour shifts. Ahead of more storms and rain Wednesday to Thursday, four dispatchers slept on cots inside the center to be on-call in case of emergency. 

"There was all levels of disorientation, she was lucky enough to get out of her vehicle and be somewhere quasi-safe, but not sure of the danger at that particular moment," said Todd, describing a caller's plea for help in Dillard Road flooding. 

Todd explained the center runs on a system that prioritizes life safety calls. When they receive 500 or 1,000 calls, the system is in place to dispatch the appropriate response. 

"If you fall and hurt your ankle you won't get the same response for instance, as the people who are trapped in floodwaters, it'll be a much higher priority call," said Todd. 

CBS13 asked Todd if she believed the work and dedication at the regional dispatch center, quickly connecting first responders where they were needed saved lives: "Oh absolutely, absolutely. Even on different levels." 

Todd continued: "Comfort, people having someone come out and check their house, having someone check on it, knowing they're going to be safe either knowing they can stay in their house or that they have to evacuate it." 

Search and Rescue Process

Three people died in weekend flooding in Sacramento County, the third identified Thursday. Steven Sampson, 47, was found on Sunday off of Dillard Road. Wednesday afternoon, Mei Keng Lam was found off of Dillard Road near her car. Wednesday night, crews recovered Kathy Martinez in her car in water on New Hope Road and Orr Road. 

CBS13 took questions about the search and rescue process to the Cosumnes Fire Urban Search and Rescue team and the  Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center Operations Manager. Not only the process but how a doubling of calls into the dispatch center was taken on -- and lives likely saved. 

When the third victim, Martinez, was reported missing by her family, a Sacramento County sheriff's spokesperson told CBS13 she was not considered "at risk" or a threat to herself or others. When Cosumnes Fire Urban Search and Rescue, alongside Thornton Fire Department, were able to get a specific location and a visual of Martinez's car in water near New Hope Road on Wednesday, they were able to deploy a dive team and resources for recovery. 

They move quickly, too. Once on scene, the Cosumnes Fire Urban Search and Rescue can be in the water with a boat in 10 minutes. They can have divers ready to go if necessary upon arrival. While they train for actual bodies of water, swift water flooding is something they are prepared to respond to. The darkness Wednesday was an added challenge, but again, it's one the team prepares for. 

Along with Martinez's car, a CHP spokesperson told CBS13 that other vehicles were towed out of floodwaters near New Hope Road. 

"These are areas that they shouldn't have rivers and significant water going through them," said Justin Quarisa, a captain of the Cosumnes Fire Department.

This added a challenge to search and rescue crews who are trained for the conditions but may not have had specific locations where individuals were stranded due to vehicles being carried hundreds of yards away from the road they were originally on. 

Dispatchers have the ability to get GPS location from callers, but it doesn't pinpoint. It only gives them an area. In these cases, like on Sunday, people can drop a pin via their cell phone to rescue teams. In one scenario, Cosumnes Fire walked someone through what to do in a vehicle trapped by floodwaters. She was able to get to a stable spot and was instructed over the phone to use her phone as a strobe. When she saw the rescue helicopter, she pointed the light toward the helicopter to be rescued.