Flood evacuation warnings put Santa Cruz Mountain residents on edge
BOULDER CREEK -- Flood evacuation warnings have already been issued for several communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where people are being encouraged to pack up now.
Much of the Santa Cruz mountains remain a muddy mess after Saturday's drenching rain pummeled the region.
"The CRV hadn't slide down the hill the first time my husband came out. So, between the first time he came out and the second time, more slide down," said Jerry Godes, describing the cascading wall of mud and debris that washed away a large chunk of his driveway.
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Godes has spent the past several days digging out from the mudslide. His Honda CRV is wheels deep in mud halfway down the collapsed hillside.
"Certainly the concern is that is going to go further -- the slide here. The county geology people have said they're not really worried about the house. We're a little worried about the house," he said.
The mud, water and debris from the slide headed straight downhill, pointed like an arrow at Erin Jones' home, where it flooded her basement.
"The debris crossed the road and started draining into our house, which is below the road and between the road and the river," Jones said.
The Jones' home is squeezed like a vise between the unpredictable mudslide and a rising San Lorenzo River. But for now, Erin and her husband Gareth have decided to stay put.
"If there was a tree cracked and aimed at your house, I'd probably move out of the house or if there was significant mud movement," Gareth said.