SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Weeks of storms caused flooding on local freeways, took down trees and powerlines, and even washed out some roadways.
Richard Hartley, who lives in the Galt area, says he saw some flooding in his neighborhood and even saw someone kayaking by his front yard.
Though Hartley says there was no significant damage to his property, he’s seen the destruction as a result of the rain and wind and was surprised to hear of the tornado that touched down in the region.
“I’ve lived in California most — well pretty much all of my life with some detours, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Hartley.
He says that flooded roads and various closures made it hard to get around.
“For a while, we were kind of like, on an island. If you needed to get to Lodi — for example, yesterday when my mom locked herself out of the house, or you need to get up to Elk Grove, Sacramento, it would have been quite a challenge by car,” said Hartley.
Hartley says the collective work by first responders, local cities, dispatchers, SMUD crews, and Caltrans was impressive.
Dennis Keaton is a spokesperson with Caltrans District 3, and he says crews prep the roads for storms and make sure they’re ready for conditions.
“We have our crews on patrol, they go out to different locations and that preventive measure actually happens before the system even gets there,” said Keaton.
When it comes to flooding prevention, crews check to ensure pumps are working, clear debris, and keep a close eye on the road.
When it comes to flooding on Highway 99 from the Cosumnes River, Keaton says they can’t do too much to stop it. He says they close the roads and then find alternate routes and work on getting the information out on social media.
“In some instances, everything is working fine but the sheer volume of the water is just so fast at one moment that our drainage systems can't keep up,” said Keaton.
When Caltrans receives a report of badly flooded roadways, they close them. Keaton says they cannot stress enough how safety is a top priority for them, and they don’t want people driving through floodwaters.
When you see a hazard on the freeway, Keaton says to call 911 so dispatchers know where to send people.
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