SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Fire crews made dozens of water rescues over the weekend as some motorists attempted to drive through flooded roads.
A spokesperson for Sacramento County confirmed one person found in a submerged vehicle in Wilton did not make it. Their cause of death remains under investigation by the county coroner.
“We want to make sure that people are safe,” said Sacramento County public information officer, Matt Robinson.
The Sacramento valley got a brief reprieve from the rain Monday morning but the remnants of a weekend storm still linger.
“We have the Cosumnes and the Mokelumne River coming in and flooding the area,” said Robinson.
Monday morning fire crews rescued a woman who tried to pass through a flooded Twin Cities Road and it didn’t take long for her vehicle to become stuck. Thankfully, she made it out alive.
Other cars along the same road could be seen falling victim to a flash flood caused by heavy rain and levee breaches in Wilton.
“We say 'turn around, don’t drown' and there’s a reason for that. Floodwaters are dangerous,” said Robinson. “When you are driving through standing water, you don’t know how deep it is and how fast the water is moving.”
California’s Office of Emergency Services placed Point Pleasant, where the rescue occurred, under a mandatory evacuation order as rushing water continued to spill out of rivers and into neighborhoods.
With more wet weather in the forecast, crews are ready for more water rescues in the days ahead.
“When you have a situation like this, the fire departments are forced to use precious resources that could be used elsewhere to try and save a person when that whole situation could have been avoided by avoiding the floodwaters altogether,” said Robinson.
Safety officials are urging motorists to heed the warnings before taking a chance on the road in dangerous conditions.
“When you hit the water, it could take your car and start to wash away, so it’s better to be safe than sorry,” said Robinson. “Stay away from standing water.”
