Levee breach expands, floods Lovers Lane in Hollister

UPDATE 1/20/2017 10:20 p.m. An expansion of a levee breach near Pacheco Creek forced more than 20 families from their homes on Thursday.

It’s the same levee that failed during the last storm. Crews couldn’t repair it then because it’s on private property and the ground is too saturated for heavy machinery to reach.

Emergency responders spent the day on Lovers Lane getting people and animals to safety.

“We did not expect it to happen as quickly or as swiftly as it happened. But we were ready for it,” said Louie Valdez with San Benito County Office of Emergency Services.

With even more rain on the way, officials say their jobs aren’t finished.

“Residents need to keep an eye on the rain. They need to keep an eye on the water levels of any rivers or spillways that are near them. They need to be very vigilant about that through the course of the evening,” Valdez said.

Danny Nguyen’s lot on Lovers Lane was turned into a pond, and he hasn’t even started counting the loss from last week’s storm.

“All the stuff we have in storage is all damaged,” Nguyen said. “I bought the building, put up the building, now it’s all damaged.”

At a community meeting on Tuesday, residents voiced their concerns about the creek jammed up by debris. But county officials said they couldn’t do anything because the levee is on private property.

“The county of San Benito did clear some of those areas with permission from fish and game. 200 yards in either direction from the bridge that was affected last time,” Valdez said. “But we can’t go much further than that, No. 1 because we don’t have the resources, No. 2, those regulatory roadblocks cause a very big barrier for us to do anything.”

For residents on Lover’s Lane, that means another night out of their homes and no clear picture of when they’ll be allowed back.

“We are not taking any chances. At this point, we are going to keep them safe until the weather clears,” Valdez said.

So far, there’s no proclamation from the governor to declare this as a state of emergency, which will make state and federal funds available. Emergency responders said they’re disappointed that hasn’t happened.

UPDATE 1/20/2017 2:30 p.m.: Mandatory evacuations are in place for residents on Lovers Lane and San Felipe Road due to flooding from Pacheco Creek, north of Hollister.

San Benito County officials, in cooperation with the American Red Cross, have set up temporary shelter at the Veteran’s Hall, San Benito Street at 7th Street in Hollister.

Significant rainfall is forecast by the National Weather Service throughout the weekend.

Sandbags are available at the San Benito County yard at 3220 Southside Road.

ORIGINAL STORY: According to Santa Cruz County Communications, rescue crews are headed to Lovers Lane just north of Hollister because the Pacheco Creek levee reportedly broke open around 12:30 on Friday .

Residents who live on Lovers Lane are affected.

This is a developing story and KION will report new information as it becomes available.