Thousands are still away from their homes after levee breaks in Pajaro

PAJARO, Calif. (KION-TV): It's been a couple of days since the Pajaro river levee was breached. A man who did not want to be identified has been living in Pajaro for the past 8 years.

He had to evacuate twice this year because of the flooding and he said he feels a bit overwhelmed.

"I feel sad because we never thought this would happen and only God knows why he does things."

His son's education has also been impacted.

"His school is closed," said the man. "He only went yesterday and not today -- apparently because there was going to be a storm."

There is still severe flooding on Salinas Rd. People said they're not just worried about the damage being done to their homes but also where they work.

"To be honest, the rain is affecting my job." said the man.

At this moment, Monterey County said there are more than 300 people at emergency shelters.

The County Public Works office said once the flood water is gone they'll have to assess the roads in Pajaro to see if they're safe to drive on. That may take longer in some areas where flooding was disastrous.

The County is now asking for President Biden's help to make a disaster declaration for the Pajaro Area. This would include Federal Aid from FEMA and the Small Business Association.

Crews are continuing to patch up the levee with plans to work overnight once again.

Ten to 15 feet of material is being used to patch up the levee in this first phase of work. After that, an additional four to five feet of material is needed for the final repair.

"We hoped to have this done today but it could be tomorrow. And then it'll take a couple of weeks to raze the levee repair and make it impermeable to water."

The county says they plan to address the second breach that's closer to the ocean later.

They say for now that one is beneficial breach allowing the water in Pajaro to come down.