Cleanup underway after major flood event in south Monterey County

CHUALAR, Calif. Neighbors scraped heavy mud from their driveways for hours, Thursday.

Homes in Chualar took a hit during a flood Wednesday night. Days of heavy rain and a broken levee turned streets into flowing rivers. 

“We just got up to come out and see what happened, because we didn’t know,” said resident Marie Parea.

Parea worked to repair her fence after the rising water took it down. Luckily, she had sandbags to keep water from entering her home.
"I just wanted to step out of the house and save my dogs, but I couldn’t. I just prayed to God,” said Parea.

Crews built a barrier to stop the neighborhood from flooding in the next storm. Hundreds of sandbags were prepared for the same reason.

More work was done on Highway 101, as well. CalTrans flushed multiple storm drains that were clogged with mud. "The mud dries wherever it is. Wherever it settles, it dries. We need to get it out right away, which is what we are doing now,” said CalTrans equipment operator, Doug Lee.

Hundreds of vehicles were stopped on Highway 101 southbound during rush hour, Wednesday night. With more rain in the forecast, crews are working to make sure that doesn’t happen again. “If we get another rainfall, like we're projected, keeping these storm drains open, like were doing now, will help control that flow of water. We hope it doesn't come back up on the highway,” said Lee. 

For information on where to acquire sand bags, visit: www.co.monterey.ca.us.