Northern California town ordered to evacuate
The town of Wilton, Calif. remains under an evacuation order after torrential rains from an atmospheric river on Saturday threatened “imminent levee collapse.”
About 5,000 residents of the town of Sacramento County were ordered to evacuate immediately Saturday afternoon as flood waters rose. But by 3:30 p.m., road conditions had become too dangerous, and Sacramento County officials ordered the remaining residents to evacuate. At 11:30 p.m., “A flash flood warning was issued to Wilton due to an impending levee breach in that area of the Cosmnes River. Residents were advised to seek higher ground immediately.”
The warning covers areas south of Wilton Road, west of the Cosmnes River, and north of Gay Road. A shelter has been opened at the Wackford Community Center at 9014 Bruceville Road in Elk Grove. A flood warning is in effect for Sacramento County through 10 a.m. Sunday.
“Rain has stopped across the region, but runoff from Saturday’s heavy rains continues to flow downstream, local gauges show.
“Most streams and creeks have peaked and are slowly starting to recede, but many remain above the flood stage,” the National Weather Service said.
The county has declared a winter storm emergency to deal with storm damage. “Sacramento County is experiencing an atmospheric river that began on December 31, 2022 and has so far severely impacted transportation, increased water levels in creeks and rivers, and caused flooding in Wilton. We do,” the county said in a statement.
Wilton is familiar with levee breaches. When historic floods hit northern California in 1997, levee breaches near the town forced 15,000 people to evacuate. Some needed help as the Cosmnes River rose seven feet above flood level.
For the latest Sacramento County information, click here.
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