People living along the Salinas River fearful for potential flooding
MONTEREY COUNTY, CALIF. (KION-TV)- Hour by hour, the Salinas River continues to rise.
In Gonzales, people like Jean Salcido's friend have already had to find shelter elsewhere.
“He is just frustrated because, you know, he lives alone, and he wanted to want it to be safe,” Salcido said. “But he was told that he had to evacuate. So he had to call his mom and let her know that he would be coming and going to stay with her.”
Places out in Chualar have to do the same as Salcido’s friend. Where Chualar Dump Road used to be, is now fully engulfed in water.
More North in Spreckels, people like Rich Ramirez don’t feel the pressure as much as in these areas.
“We're just going to buckle down,” Ramirez said. “We have family that we were going to in Las Palmas we actually went to yesterday, but we're just going to stay here.”
Even if they don’t need the help, these people hope they can help in any way possible.
“Look out for each other, you know, keep being alert like [Karyna Zaldivar] has been,” Salcido said. “And just look out for each other.”
“Just come together,” Karyna Zaldivar of Gonzales said. “Come together. Don't let nothing get in the way. A lot of times, a lot of people let things stop them from helping because of either grudges or all these things. And this isn't a time for that, you know, it's like everyone should come together.”
Ramirez doesn’t have a problem helping when it’s needed, either.
“If we need to help anybody that's out there, we're willing to help,” Ramirez said. “But I honestly, I don't see it reaching us.”
To help those who need resources, Monterey County has created a storm relief fund. Donations to this fund will provide emergency assistance and relief through local non-profits.
