Thousands flee flooding in northern California

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

Thousands of northern California residents have fled their homes as floodwaters caused by massive rainfall continued to overrun riverbanks on Wednesday.

Roughly 14,000 people have been ordered to evacuate parts of San Jose, California’s fourth biggest city as chest-high waters poured into neighborhoods. Another 36,000 have been recommended by authorities to flee.

The neighborhood of Rockspring was particularly hard hit causing first responders to rescue at least 225 people from rising tides on Tuesday.

Nearly 100 more were rescued in overnight operations, according to local media.

Authorities issued an evacuation advisory along a seven-mile (11 kilometer) stretch of Coyote Creek on Tuesday, stretching from around downtown to near the San Francisco Bay.

On Wednesday, authorities widened the evacuation area along parts of Coyote Creek that faced increasing threats of flooding.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo acknowledged to reporters on Tuesday the city has shortcomings in notifying residents of the pending disaster.

“Any time we’re showing up in boats to get people out of their homes, there’s been a failure. Clearly we fell short if the first time folks are hearing about having to get out of their home is when we’re showing up in a boat,” he said.

Northern California has been pounded by a succession of storms that have poured heavy rain and snowfall on the formerly drought-stricken area.

Santa Clara County’s largest reservoir, the Anderson Reservoir, was inundated with waters on Sunday and Monday that eventually overran the artificial lake and poured into Coyote Creek, causing much of what has transpired in San Jose over the past 24 hours.

The spill peaked on Tuesday, according to the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which warned that high water flows were expected along Coyote Creek through Wednesday morning.