Sacramento County braces for possible flooding from next atmospheric river
SACRAMENTO – More stormy weather is on the way for Northern California.
An atmospheric river follows heavy snow in the Sierra and foothills. The warmer rain is expected to hit the valley and snowpack in lower elevation communities where there are concerns over possible flooding.
Jose Alejandre was not always a believer in storm prepping.
"I thought you know what? I'm not going to take a chance this year," he said. "Let me get my butt out there and get some sandbags in here."
On Wednesday he stopped by a sandbag location off Branch Center Rd. In the eight years he has lived in his South Sacramento home, he had never relied on sandbags until the start of this year. When heavy rain battered NorCal in January, he credited the bags for keeping the water out.
"The water came within feet of our house," Alejandre said.
While the weather is calm at the moment, the sense of urgency among people living in flood-prone areas should be in high gear. Sacramento County officials are urging people to get ready for any possible flooding.
"They need to take precautions before the water drops," said Matt Robinson, a public information officer.
The county told CBS13 that the storm cleanup from January is over.
Yet, it could be déjà vu.
It is not only this atmospheric river emergency officials are watching, but what will happen next Tuesday and perhaps another storm right after. Warm rain and snowmelt could result in possible flooding – possibly rivaling what communities saw in January.
The county found the community's response back then to be encouraging.
"We find that people did take it seriously because five years ago – six years ago – back in 2017, we went through the same situation, so memories aren't that short and people remembered what to do – that was the best part," Robinson said.
The county says the possibility of downed trees remains a major concern.
Though, it is not just your home that needs prepping, but also your family, according to Sac Metro Fire.
"Please don't risk driving through floodwaters," Capt. Parker Wilbourn said. "Please, don't risk trying to take shortcuts. Be ahead of the game. Have your to-go bag ready."
Also, make sure you have an evacuation plan, he said.
As for Alejandre, he fears more back-to-back storms could take a toll on communities.
"So, I want to make sure – that we don't have any problems," he said.
