Levee break forces hundreds to evacuate in California

Residents of a northern California farming community known for its strawberry growing were ordered to evacuate Saturday morning after an atmospheric flooding system breached a levee on the Pajaro River.

On the central coast of Monterey County, more than 8,500 people were under evacuation orders and other warnings Saturday, many of them Latino farmworkers from the unincorporated community of Pájaro.

Authorities reported that the break in the levee was about 30.5 meters wide. Crews had gone door to door on Friday afternoon to urge residents to get out before the rains came, but some stayed behind and had to be pulled from the water early Saturday.

First responders and the California National Guard rescued more than 50 people overnight Saturday in Pájaro. A video showed a member of the Guard helping a driver to get out of a car stuck in waist-deep floodwaters.

“We had hoped to avoid and prevent this situation, but the worst case scenario came with the overflow of the Pajaro River and the levee breach around midnight,” Luis Alejo, president of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, tweeted.

Alejo described the flood as “massive” and considered that it will take months to repair the damage.

The Pajaro River separates Santa Cruz and Monterey counties in the area that flooded Saturday. Floodwaters that reached wells in the region could be contaminated with chemicals, authorities stressed, and residents were told not to drink or cook with tap water because they could make them sick.

Authorities had worked along the levee in hopes of shoring it up when it breached. Crews began repairing the levee at dawn Saturday as residents slept in evacuation centers.

Weather-related power outages were affecting more than 17,000 customers in Monterey County as of Saturday night, according to the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said Saturday that it was monitoring the situation in Pájaro.

The Pájaro Valley is a coastal agricultural area known for growing strawberries, apples, cauliflower, broccoli, and artichokes. National brands like Driscoll’s Strawberries and Martinelli’s are based in the region.

The storm is part of California’s 10th atmospheric river this winter, and massive amounts of rain have helped ease conditions of a three-year drought.

State reservoirs, which had reached shockingly low levels, are now well above average for this time of year, prompting state officials to release water from dams to help control flooding and make room in the event of more rain.

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