"Get out of here": Homeless camps along American River clear out in anticipation of flooding
SACRAMENTO — An intense warning boomed from above along the American River Parkway on Thursday as crews urged people to move out and get to higher ground.
William Terwilliger brought a CBS13 crew to his camp as his sister helped him save as much as he could from relentless rain and potential flooding.
"I can't do anything about it. I'm going back to get a few more things. I can only get what I can get, you know?" said Terwilliger.
"I want my brother to keep what he has because he doesn't have much." said his sister, TJ Johnson.
Just as he was talking, everyone heard a police helicopter approaching. Sacramento County officials hoped to reach more people in case the rivers spill their banks.
"We've been putting out messages on social media as well as talking to media like yourself, and our rangers are out in the parkway," said Sacramento County spokesperson Ken Casparis.
Casparis said they've had boots on the ground with park rangers clearing people out and closing several parks along the American River and Dry Creek parkways. They anticipate the American River Parkway multi-use trail will have flooding from Discovery Park through Campus Commons and near mile marker 20.5.
"The releases from the Nimbus Dam are going to be significantly higher than they have been lately. So we're going to see that water level really rise up and if you get caught in that it can be deadly," said Casparis.
Releases from Folsom Lake into the American River are expected to reach 25,000 cubic feet per second so the river will be flowing much faster. The county is urging people to stay away from the American River, if possible.
William heeded the warning and headed to his sister's apartment. He's urging others to find higher ground, too.
"Another disaster. Evacuation? When I hear that, that's scary," said Terwilliger. "Get out of here and go find another place to stay. Get what you can out of your camp and leave that's what you can do. That's all you can do."
Sacramento County Regional Parks staff said they'll be monitoring the river elevations throughout the weekend, and closure notices will be updated as necessary.
