Flood waters surround community of Monte Rio, submerging roads

Wayne Freedman Image
ByWayne Freedman KGO logo
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Flood waters make Monte Rio into island
The nearby town of Monte Rio is an island as of Wednesday night. All roads leading in and out are submerged under floodwaters.

MONTE RIO, Calif. (KGO) -- The nearby town of Monte Rio is an island as of Wednesday night. All roads leading in and out are submerged under floodwaters.

A man in Monte Rio Wednesday night spent the evening helping his neighbors.

Jeremy Mockel said he wanted to give back to the community on a day when people watched the Russian River do a slow rise. They weren't raging waters, but persistent ones.

The waters proved troublesome to residents at Ryan's Beach Mobile Home Park, where the units don't move, and people have stayed.

Jeff Dalsom, a mobile home owner, said, "We just usually put stuff up above, on the higher floor, so, hopefully, we'll make it through this one."

Monte Rio is downstream from Guerneville, and just as, if not more flood-prone. They've seen the National Guard in trucks rescue people like Beverly Schaefer and Christine Tipton from Guerneville.

Mockel, late Wednesday morning, took us for a tour in a canoe. He did stuff like that for people all day beginning with a crossing of the river, on foot to get some equipment for some friends.

The waters are finally receding, but the real work begins tomorrow with the clean-up.

Watch the latest AccuWeather forecast and take a look at recent weather stories and videos.