Guerneville residents band together as Russian River floods their town

Wayne Freedman Image
ByWayne Freedman KGO logo
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Guerneville residents band together as Russian River floods their town
Residents living near the Russian River in Guerneville banded together to help each other out as hundreds were forced from their homes by rising flood water.

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- The Russian River is expected to stay at flood stage until Thursday, causing major problems for people living in the Guerneville area.

RELATED: Flood waters strand officer in San Jose

Guerneville residents say it wasn't getting any worse, but the cleanup will take a long time.

Resident Bruce McDonald volunteered himself and his duck boat to help out other members of the community get from place to place. "The best story is I took this woman over there to her cat, and the best story is her cat was fine," Macdonell told ABC7 News.

RELATED: Crews rescue teen from drowning in Oakland creek

About 300 residents were flooded in - not out - in the Guerneville area. "Flooded in means you're stranded. Flooded out means you've got a mess," Betsy Van Dyke said.

With every inch the river recedes, life returns a little bit back to normal.

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