Storm evacuation advisories issued in California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Residents of a Northern California community have been ordered to evacuate due to the threat of flooding, and evacuation advisories were issued in other rural parts of the region on New Year’s Day. after a strong storm caused torrential rains or heavy snowfall in much of the state, which led to the breaching of levees, traffic disruptions and the closure of some highways.

Although the storm has passed, some agricultural areas were badly flooded about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Sacramento, where rivers burst their banks. Emergency crews rescued drivers New Year’s Eve and Sunday morning along State Route 99, and the freeway was closed.

Sacramento County authorities issued an evacuation order late Sunday for residents of the Point Pleasant community near Interstate 5 due to the threat of dangerous flooding. Residents of the nearby communities of Glanville Tract and Franklin Pond were told to prepare to leave before more roads were cut off by rising waters and they were unable to evacuate afterwards.

“Cosumnes River and Mokelumne River flooding is expected to move southwest toward I-5 and may reach these areas in the middle of the night,” the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services tweeted Sunday. “Cattle in affected areas should be moved to higher ground.”

To the north, in the state capital, workers were clearing downed trees from streets and sidewalks, and at least 17,000 customers were still without power Sunday, down from 150,000 the day before, according to an online map from the Municipal Utilities District. Sacramento Public.

Near Lake Tahoe, dozens of drivers were rescued on New Year’s Eve on Interstate 80 after several lost control of their cars in the snow during the storm, the California Department of Transportation reported. The main route to the mountains of the San Francisco Bay Area reopened for chained passenger cars on Sunday.

“Roads are extremely slippery so let’s all work together and slow down so we can keep I-80 open,” the California Highway Patrol tweeted. Several other freeways, including State Route 50, have also been reopened.

Rainfall in downtown San Francisco reached 5.46 inches (13.87 centimeters) on New Year’s Eve, making it the second-wettest day on record, behind the November 1994 deluge, the National Weather Service said. Videos on Twitter showed muddy water running down the streets of San Francisco, and a stairway in Oakland turned into a veritable waterfall by heavy rain.