Salinas Fire Battalion Chief recalls floods from the 90’s

Federal agencies are trying to get the word out on El Nio. Both FEMA and NOAA said the weather pattern could be among the strongest on record, similar to the one in 1997-98.

News Channel 5 spoke with Battalion Chief Brett Loomis, who was in Salinas for both the 1995 and 1997 floods. Loomis had a serious warning for everyone on the Central Coast because he said nothing stops water.

“We’re in El Nio right now,” said Chief Loomis. “A lot of people would refer to the El Nio as coming meaning the rains. The El Nio is here.”

It’s not certain what El Nio will bring. That’s why it’s better to be on the side of caution. Chief Loomis saw first hand some of the areas worst flooding twenty years ago.

“We had firefighters that were in knee deep, even thigh deep, waist deep water assisting people into boats and getting them out,” said Loomis.

In 1995 the areas of Santa Rita, Bolsa Knolls and the low lying areas of Kern saw most damage. In ’97, the areas near the Pajaro River were hardest hit. In Salinas, local creeks and reclamation ditches flooded. Today, the concern was about overgrowth in the Salinas River.

“There have been a number of different predictions that if we get the amount of water in the Salinas River that we did in ’95 and ’97 that the water will be significantly further into the city of Salinas,” Chief Loomis said. “There have been some predictions that it will make it all the way to downtown.”

But we still don’t know just how much water. Officials warn people to be prepared and listen to first responders.

“There is no piece of property in the world worth a human life,” said Loomis.