Russian River slowly receding, major damage remains in Guerneville

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ByAmy Hollyfield KGO logo
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Russian River slowly receding, flooding remains at major level
The Russian River has crested and is expected to recede slowly throughout the day. The river is forecasted to remain in a major flood stage until this afternoon.

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- The Russian River is receding today but roads in and out of Guerneville are still closed as officials deal with streets covered in water and debris.

"Be patient. We still have a lot of heavy flooding. We have specialists coming it to check the integrity of light posts and trees and until that is done we can't let people in, said CHP Officer Matt Pinheiro who was stationed at a closure on River Road.

Authorities do not have an estimated time of when roads will re-open.

RELATED: Catastrophic flooding turns Guerneville into an island

"That's going to depend on the CHP and when they decide. They are going to have to clean all the debris that sits on the roads before cars can start driving through," said Forestville Assistant Fire Chief John Francheschi.

He says they had several calls for water rescues overnight, including a woman who got stuck trying to drive through water.

VIDEO: Cars, people stranded by rising waters from Russian River

"She was hanging on to a tree. The water was not moving fast, water teams walked into her and got her out. She just went around a barricade that said 'road closed'," said Francheschi.

With the water receding, some were hoping they would be able to get through. We talked to Star Letizia at a roadblock where she was forced to do a U-turn.

"I am just trying to get to a doctor's appointment in Forestville. I have taken four different roads and now I am ten minutes late. I guess I am going to have to cancel it," she said.

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