Sonoma County: Two people found dead after floodwaters rise during atmospheric river
Two people have now died as severe floodwaters hit Sonoma County, KTVU has confirmed. This comes as an atmospheric river has been dumping water on the West Coast.
The first person was found around 8:50 a.m. near the area of Piner Creek near Centurion Drive, when a passerby walking along the Piner Creek Trail spotted them. Crews arrived on scene to find a man dead in the creek just before 9 a.m. His body was recovered from the water, the Santa Rosa County Fire Department said.
The death is being investigated by a detective with the Violent Crimes Investigations Team because authorities cannot yet confirm how the man died, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department. He is described as a white man believed to be in his mid-60s. His identity may be released after his next of kin have been notified.
The Sonoma County Coroner's office is currently investigating the exact cause and time of his death.
A second person was found dead inside a flooded vehicle in Guerneville on Saturday morning, the Sonoma County Sheriff said.
Sheriff's deputies responded to Highway 116 near Mays Canyon Road after a report of a car submerged in floodwaters around 11:29 a.m.
"We received a phone call of a person in a vehicle in floodwaters…and were able to remove the person from the vehicle, but unfortunately at that point they had already died," said Rob Dillion of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, who added a fellow motorist placed the 911 call.
First responders arrived to find a man behind the wheel of the submerged vehicle; they attempted to revive him but he was declared dead at the scene. Officials are unsure how long the car was submerged before it was spotted.
First responders are urging people to continue to use caution.
"When we've got those a-frames out that say ‘road closed, flooded,' listen to them. Turn around don't drown. Six inches can knock an adult over, and just 12 inches can carry around most cars. Two feet can take away an SUV or a truck. We saw it last night out on the Mark West watershed. An SUV tried to go across the flood waters and got swept away," said Jeffrey Duvall of Sonoma Co. Emergency Management.
Sonoma County says good riddance to first bout of atmospheric river
Parts of Sonoma County were hit by as much as 15 inches of rain, with Occidental getting more than 20 inches. Much of the runoff will make its way down to the Russian River from its massive 1,500-square-mile drainage area. KTVU's Tom Vacar reports from Guerneville.