Wilton area braces for what could be repeat of dangerous January flooding
SACRAMENTO COUNTY -- Areas hit hard by January's deadly storms are once again bracing for dangerous flooding as cleanup is still underway from the last round.
In Sacramento County, three people died as floodwaters rose in the New Year's major storm.
Thursday night the county activated its emergency operations center with the goal of making sure that in areas prone to flooding, no one is caught off guard by this storm's impact. That includes watching for downed trees and power lines with a wind advisory in effect, and of course, keeping a close eye on the rising rivers.
"We have these floodwater boats, and then four motors up here toward the front," said Robert Kasparian, battalion chief of the Cosumnes Fire Department, showing CBS13 a trailer full of water rescue gear that sits on the ready.
"Lessons learned, right? We just dealt with the same type of storms and impacts two months ago," said Kasparian.
Kasparian says in the wake of the January storms, they now know the hotspots for where the need for water rescue is most likely: Wilton, Dillard Rd., Galt, New Hope Rd., and along Highway 99.
January's flooding stranded drivers along 99 at the Dillard Rd. exit and even prompted helicopter rescues nearby as cars were swept away.
Dangerous water levels are expected too in this storm.
"We are always going to prepare for the worst. We are gonna have additional resources, additional equipment and be ready for that event and hope that it doesn't happen," said Kasparian.
Neighbors also spent Thursday preparing as the steady rain began to fall.
"Shove that in there like that and away we go," said Jill Curtis, filling sandbags to protect her Wilton home.
"The ground is still really saturated from the last storm and we had a bunch of trenches with new power lines so the ground is really soft. The water fills really fast," said Curtis.
Top of mind for many Wilton neighbors is one question: will this round be as bad as January's storms?
"It was a big deal. We finally got it cleaned up and looks like it's gonna happen again. We all know what to do at this point,' said neighbor Zachery Shay.
"I don't want to say it was funny but my kids saw fish swim across the road. That's how flooded it was," said Curtis.
Water will rise in this storm, not just due to rainfall, but from melting higher elevation snow in the Sierra and foothills. For that reason, the next 24 hours are critical.
"What the rivers are going to do, what the snow runoff is going to do, how that is going to impact the levees," said Kasparian of his main focus.
Thursday saw round-the-clock work to repair damage along more than 30 miles of levee in Wilton. Reclamation district authorities are now hoping it holds.
"We don't know what's coming in the next few days and we could have more problems and more places we need to repair," said Reclamation District 800 president Brian Takemori.
First responders want neighbors across Sacramento County to stay prepared ad stay off the roads when possible.
"If you need to get supplies or run your errands, do it in the next 24 hours before the major storm hits. If you don't need to go out, stay home," said Kasparian.