The Pajaro levee breached as officials conducted flood fighting efforts.
The Pajaro River levee in California breached around midnight on Friday as California has faced a series of storms. Nearby residents have been urged to evacuate immediately.
The levee break comes as the state faces unrelenting rain which could last until Wednesday.
“My heart hurts tonight for the residents of Pajaro. We were hoping to avoid and prevent this situation, but the worst case scenario has arrived with the Pajaro River overtopping and levee breaching at about midnight,” Luis Alejo, chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, said in a tweet.
At the time of the breach, Monterey County Water Resources Agency and the California Department of Water Resources were conducting onsite flood-fighting efforts at the levee due to the rising waters.
Restoration work on the levee will resume Saturday morning during the daylight hours.
State Parks swift water technicians transport a woman to safety after her truck was swept away by flood waters along Paulsen Road in Watsonville, Calif., on March 10, 2023. The woman, who does not swim, stood on the roof of her truck for over an hour until the technicians could reach her and paddle her to safety.
Shmuel Thaler/The Santa Cruz Sentinel via AP
State officials conducted door-to-door notification and evacuation efforts throughout the day Friday and upon the levee break.
As of early Saturday morning, officials have been assisting residents who did not evacuate earlier after receiving evacuation orders. Residents in the evacuation zone who need help should call 911 immediately, Monterey County officials said.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, North Monterey County Fire and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are conducting evacuations.
The Monterey Salinas Transit is transporting community members in the evacuation zone to shelters. The closest evacuation shelter to the Community of Pajaro is at the Santa Cruz Fairground. There are additional shelters in Salinas at Compass Church and a temporary evacuation center at the Prunedale Library.
(This news/post has been generated from abcnews.go.com and its was posted in their US category. CT is not responsible for the above information.)
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