2 die in storm flooding-related incidents in Sonoma County, officials say

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- The powerful storms that moved through the Bay Area have now claimed two lives in Sonoma County.

Police say a driver died Saturday morning after they attempted to drive through a flooded road in Guerneville. In Santa Rosa, the body of a man was recovered from a rain-swollen creek.

"Our message to the public: turn around. Don't drown," said Misti Wood from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department.

It's a motto first responders use all the time, but on Saturday, the driver of a compact car drove into flooded Mays Canyon Road in Guerneville.

"Right around 11:30 a.m., a call came in from a person who saw a car bobbing in the water," Wood said.

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The floodwater was about six feet deep, making an attempt to rescue the driver become a grim recovery effort.

"The sheriff's office responded, including the Sonoma County Fire District. They performed a rescue and pulled a person from the car. Unfortunately, was pronounced dead here, didn't make it," Wood said.

In Santa Rosa, the body of a man was recovered in Piner Creek on Saturday, alongside a popular hiking trail.

"I hike and walk here all the time. I've never seen water that high," said Allan Johnson.

Johnson says the creek rose at least six feet after record rainfall.

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Santa Rosa police say the man's death is a possible drowning. It's unclear how the victim got into the water.

More than a foot of rain slammed Sonoma County in three days and caused the Russian River to flood in spots. A mobile home park in Forestville was underwater. Many roads remain flooded.

"Please do not drive into flooded roadways. They put you at risk and us at risk trying to get you out," said a Sonoma County Fire District firefighter.

On Friday night, the driver and passenger in a Jeep had to be rescued on Slosser Road in Forestville, which was closed due to flooding.

In 2023, a woman drowned in her car after driving into a flooded road.

"I wish people would not do that. We wish they'd obey the signs and turn around. Find another way out. Your life is worth it," said Karen Hancock from Sonoma County Fire District.