Sonoma County's Russian River is grappling with the aftermath of two weeks of intense storms that brought torrential rains, toppled trees, and washed away roads. The devastation is nothing short of catastrophic, leaving residents to pick up the pieces.
Mark Weiss, a local business owner from Cazadero, witnessed firsthand the fury of the storms when his 300-foot tall old growth redwood tree came crashing down during a storm, destroying his outdoor dining area and part of the kitchen at his bakery. "It felt like an earthquake and explosion," Weiss said in an interview. The tree's destruction has left him facing a daunting task - rebuilding from scratch.
Near Monte Rio, another chunk of Highway 116 fell off into the Russian River, reducing traffic to one lane. The Caltrans department and Monte Rio Fire Department warn that the washout could grow as runoff flows downhill, with Chief Steve Baxman cautioning that the situation is precarious. "What happened - we went down with a boat, underneath is an eddy it cuts through, just sucking away at the bottom -it's going to keep sliding," he said.
Meanwhile, residents in Marin County are still reeling from the king tides and storms that brought devastating flood damage. Many homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving families without shelter. "The problem we're having now, we had years of drought so we had a lot of dead trees, now they're filling with water and toppling," said Baxman.
In Guerneville, raw sewage spilled into the Russian River after the river overflowed at a sewage treatment plant. Fortunately, emergency response teams were able to contain the spill, and water testing has begun to determine if the water is safe for consumption. Eric Schanz, General Manager of Sweetwater Springs Water District, assured that all samples have come back clean, and there was no impact on the water quality.
Repairs on the washed-out portion of Highway 116 are expected to take up to a year, with Caltrans working tirelessly to restore the road. As Sonoma County struggles to recover from this traumatic event, residents are left to wonder what's next - will they be able to rebuild their homes and businesses? Only time will tell.
Mark Weiss, a local business owner from Cazadero, witnessed firsthand the fury of the storms when his 300-foot tall old growth redwood tree came crashing down during a storm, destroying his outdoor dining area and part of the kitchen at his bakery. "It felt like an earthquake and explosion," Weiss said in an interview. The tree's destruction has left him facing a daunting task - rebuilding from scratch.
Near Monte Rio, another chunk of Highway 116 fell off into the Russian River, reducing traffic to one lane. The Caltrans department and Monte Rio Fire Department warn that the washout could grow as runoff flows downhill, with Chief Steve Baxman cautioning that the situation is precarious. "What happened - we went down with a boat, underneath is an eddy it cuts through, just sucking away at the bottom -it's going to keep sliding," he said.
Meanwhile, residents in Marin County are still reeling from the king tides and storms that brought devastating flood damage. Many homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving families without shelter. "The problem we're having now, we had years of drought so we had a lot of dead trees, now they're filling with water and toppling," said Baxman.
In Guerneville, raw sewage spilled into the Russian River after the river overflowed at a sewage treatment plant. Fortunately, emergency response teams were able to contain the spill, and water testing has begun to determine if the water is safe for consumption. Eric Schanz, General Manager of Sweetwater Springs Water District, assured that all samples have come back clean, and there was no impact on the water quality.
Repairs on the washed-out portion of Highway 116 are expected to take up to a year, with Caltrans working tirelessly to restore the road. As Sonoma County struggles to recover from this traumatic event, residents are left to wonder what's next - will they be able to rebuild their homes and businesses? Only time will tell.
the amount of damage that's happened in sonoma county is just crazy. i mean, 300ft old growth redwood tree coming down? that's just insane! and the fact that they're gonna have to rebuild from scratch is huge. it's not just the physical damage, but also the mental toll on people. i feel for mark weiss and all the other business owners who are struggling to get back on their feet.
Two weeks of intense storms is one thing, but the aftermath is just devastating 
. And Highway 116 falling off into the river? One lane? What if people are trying to drive through? 
. I hope the water testing comes back clean and everyone is safe to drink from it 
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. I hope the community can come together and support each other during this tough time 
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. It's going to take a while for them to recover, but we're here for them 
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. And the road washout is so concerning, how are they gonna fix it in one year? The raw sewage spill was lucky to have been contained, can't imagine if it got into the river for longer 
. My heart goes out to those people who lost their homes and businesses, rebuilding from scratch must be so tough 
. But at least Eric Schanz assured us that the sewage spill in Guerneville was contained and all samples have come back clean #SafeToDrink #CleanWater #SewageSOS 
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. We need to get those roads fixed ASAP so people can get back to their daily lives #FixTheRoads #BackToNormal #StormResilience 
. On the bright side, I guess Mark Weiss's tree is just a fancy way of saying " old growth redwood... destroyed by storms"... Silver linings, right? 
Anyway, can we just fast forward to the part where everyone gets their homes and businesses rebuilt already? 