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Crowds of onlookers stood on the Watsonville aspect of the Pajaro River Bridge wanting on the swollen muddy river speeding under and the closed-off, submerged city of Pajaro on the opposite aspect.
Emergency responders — sheriff’s deputies, police, county divers and boat rescue crews — had been parked alongside the bridge behind yellow tape.
Police and county sheriff deputies stopped each the curious from crossing, in addition to a couple of individuals who mentioned they'd relations or companies on the opposite aspect.
One man, who declined to supply his title, mentioned his grandmother was caught on the opposite aspect in a flooded dwelling. The police wouldn't let him cross however took down her deal with and promised to test.
Connie and Victor Alvarez, proprietor of Alvarez Collison and Paint, mentioned they had been making an attempt to get in to test on their enterprise. They mentioned they’d been notified by Monterey County that their enterprise was in all probability flooded and there was concern that poisonous chemical compounds and solvents might be entering into the water.
As the newest storm moved out of the area Saturday, this Central Coast neighborhood was among the many hardest hit. A levee failure on the Pajaro River in Monterey County triggered large flooding and prompted a whole lot of evacuations and dozens of water rescues.
Teresa Fuentes turns into emotional after seeing flood harm to her dwelling on Faculty Street in Watsonville on Friday.
(Nic Coury / Related Press)
“So, we’re right here to test,” mentioned Connie Alvarez as she waited for a sheriff’s deputy to test to see if she had permission to cross.
Javier Gomez, legislative analyst for Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo, pointed to speeding water pouring south and west alongside the flooded streets of Porter, San Juan and Brooklyn.
“The water remains to be coming in,” he mentioned. “It’s rising.”
Three blocks upstream, on the opposite aspect of a flooded space, three individuals had been strolling east, alongside the river, carrying massive black plastic baggage. Gomez mentioned these had been in all probability a few of the “a whole lot” of people that didn’t heed the evacuation warnings.
“I don’t know what number of stayed,” he mentioned. “However we’ve been doing back-to-back rescues all day. Seems like there have been at the least 100.”
A girl walks by way of floodwaters in Watsonville on Friday.
(Nic Coury / Related Press)
Monterey County Sheriff Deputy Mike Hampson mentioned many of the identical individuals had been evacuated in January when the river acquired excessive.
“At the moment, they had been displaced for a couple of week,” he mentioned, noting that this time it’s in all probability going to be longer — as crews should clear flooded and contaminated streets and houses and restore electrical energy to the world.
He mentioned many individuals who evacuated final night time are additionally now making an attempt to come back again to get their pets and belongings. He can’t allow them to in. He mentioned the Fireplace Division is taking down addresses and checking on animals.
“It’s onerous,” he mentioned. “You possibly can hear canines barking in a few of the homes.”
On the Santa Cruz County fairgrounds, about 150 evacuees from Pajaro had been speaking, drawing, going by way of donated gadgets — comparable to clothes and blankets — and preparing for what they guessed could be a keep of at the least a couple of weeks.
Andres Garcia, 39, mentioned this was the third time he’d been evacuated from Pajaro by the flooding river. He was right here in January, and in addition in 1995 — when the city was flooded, “even worse” than it's now, he mentioned. He added that he’s unable to work proper now — the mountain bike store that employs him can also be underwater.
He’ll in all probability have to assert unemployment, he mentioned, shaking his head. He, his spouse and their 8-year-old daughter left the inundated metropolis early Saturday after they acquired a knock on the door from a sheriff’s deputy urging them to depart.
Garcia mentioned they left earlier than the water acquired too excessive, however he has no thought what state his home is in now. His neighbor, Laura Garcia, left after daybreak.
She confirmed a video of water sloshing by way of her home — lapping in opposition to a crib, chairs, eating room set and cabinets.
Andres Garcia mentioned many individuals will probably be out of labor so long as the water stays excessive — particularly individuals who toil within the now submerged fields across the space.
“They'll’t do something whereas it’s like this,” he mentioned.
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