Search and Rescue Operations in California During Flooding » Overview

During the first three weeks of 1995, California experienced the second highest rainfall of the 20th Century. Emergency officials prepared to respond to the flooding that would easily equal and surpass similar periods during the winters of 1992 and 1993.

During 1995, however, the only similarities throughout the state were the overflowing flood control system and the inundation of large numbers of houses in Napa, Sonoma, Sacramento, Placer, Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties.

In contrast, local and state emergency agencies had spent the previous two-year period preparing to respond to just such events. Thousands of rescuers had received at least first responder level training for dealing with moving water rescues. Equipment had been purchased. In many areas hit in 1992, particularly in Los Angeles County and its environs, major pre-planning had been undertaken. Coordinators knew exactly what resources were immediately available. Task forces had been designated, had trained together, and were activated as soon as rainfall pointed to the chance of localized flooding.

The result was a substantial decrease in the loss of life compared to similar periods in 1992 and 1993. There were six deaths during the flood of January 1995 in California - contrasted with comparable rainfall in Georgia during a like period (about eight days in July of 1994) that lead to 35 deaths. In the March flooding that lasted nearly two weeks, there were 11 storm-related fatalities. Of these, two were skiers who died in a blizzard near Lake Tahoe and therefore not specifically flood related.

The rainfall in California was due to a series of huge storms originating in the Pacific Ocean, and exasperated by the weather condition know as “El Nino.” (This is a mysterious and periodic effect that warms the Pacific Ocean near the Equator, bringing sustained wet weather to Mexico and the entire southwestern United States.) In January 1995, the series of heavy storms lasted nearly three weeks. In March, storms marched ashore every three days for nearly two weeks. In the intervening few weeks of dry weather the ground remained heavily saturated, compounding problems as structures, houses, bridges and entire hillsides finally gave in to nature.

The United States has experienced several major floods in recent years. Flooding along the Mississippi River in 1992 affected a substantially larger area and caused more severe property loss. The Georgia flooding was of shorter duration and caused more loss of life. North Carolina flooding in August 1995 also caused major local disruptions.

The devastation caused by the California flooding on the economy, property loss and loss of life falls somewhere in the middle of the above events. Still, the results of such sustained rains were impressive:

• Thirty-eight counties declared states of emergency. Ten remained under continuous states of emergency from the first week of January to the end of March.

• Even in the 13 counties that did not declare emergencies, there were still storm-related problems, including flooding, mud slides, heavy snows, local road closures, and river rescues.

• In Napa County, nearly 300 homes were flooded, many of which were in the process of being repaired from the January flooding. Several thousand people were evacuated from their homes there as well as along stretches of the Russian River in neighboring Sonoma County.

• Sodden soil combined with continuous flooding and washed away a bridge over Interstate 5 near Colinga in Fresno County, three cars went into the usually dry creek bed. One victim was saved, but three others died.

• Residents in Carmel Valley had to be evacuated in Monterey County as the Carmel River went over its banks, and took out the only bridge across Highway 1. In the northern part of the county, the entire population of the little town of Pajaro and many residents of Castroville had to be evacuated.

• Highway 17 in Santa Cruz County, 200 miles of I-5 in Kern County, and stretches of Highway 101 in Los Angeles County were closed. Cumulatively, road and highway closures effectively paralyzed the state for several days, leading to incalculable numbers of closed businesses and lost commercial dollars.

• Total damage state-wide was estimated at $3 to $5 billion.

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