North Bay roads flooded in big Bay Area storm

RHONERT PARK, Calif. (KGO) -- The heavy rain flooded out some roads in the North Bay Friday.

The sound of rain can be peaceful at times but flooding is always a concern for North Bay residents.

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"I heard it all night long," said Linda Kennedy of Rohnert Park. "I could hear it and I looked out the window and it was flowing pretty good."

Residents of a mobile home community in Rohnert Park live right next to a creek that is no stranger to flooding, especially during a strong wet system.

"I thought for sure we were going to be underwater right here," Kennedy added. "But see they must have come and cleared the drains because it's flowing through."

While no homes were flooded, officials had to close off a portion of Rohnert Park Expressway after it was overtaken by high waters.

Even with closure signs up, some drivers decided to chance it.

Many of the rural roads in Sonoma County have been flooded out, forcing drivers to turn around.

That was not the case for Joe Ritcherso. "It's never deep so we always go this way," he said, adding that he's not intimidated by the water on the road.

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It's always best to heed the warning signs and not take the risk, like another driver who thought he could safely pass through. Instead, he was forced to stop and come back.

"There was already a rescue out here earlier today, so you get stuck in this water, you don't think it's that deep," said Sonoma County resident Evan Lepori. "And it gets deep quick. You don't know it, then it's too late."

And as long as the rain is steady, residents don't seem to mind it one bit.

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