Criminal activity reported in Pajaro as flood waters recede

PAJARO, Calif. (KION-TV) -- A second breach was reported along a levee which had an initial breach that led to the devastating flooding in the town of Pajaro.

The good news about it, according to Senior Water Resources Engineer Shaunna Murray, was that the flooding in Pajaro started to recede afterward.

This is because that secondary breach was at river mile 1 and took place at the outlet by the ocean, allowing some of the water along the levee to release into the ocean.

But the work continues to try to stabilize the initial breach which has forced hundreds of people to evacuate.

"We hope to have it stabilized by the end of [Monday] and then through the night we hope to bring up the elevation of the temporary wall," says Murray. "We hope we can have this whole thing buttoned up but there's a lot of moving pieces as to when it could be done."

Murray says they don't believe the secondary breach was forced by any of the agencies on the scene.

Meanwhile the sheriff's office says many of the water rescues they're performing now are of people trying to escape the floodwater after not evacuating initially.

Some of the rescues include a woman and a baby who were attempting to drive out of the Pajaro area, until the water pushed their car into a ditch.

Some criminal activity was also reported, as the sheriff's office says some people have tried to break into cars in the Pajaro area.

One arrest was made of someone attempting to break into a laundromat.

Despite this, deputies have no reports of missing people, deaths or injuries as a result of the flooding in Pajaro or other flooding events in the county.

County leaders: Could be "months" before people in Pajaro can return home

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- What was hopefully going to be a quieter day in Monterey County in terms of flooding only appeared to get worse as multiple agencies continue to try and patch up a breach at a levee near the town of Pajaro.

That breach led to disastrous flooding that the Monterey County Sheriff says will prevent people from returning home for months.

This was said in agreement with a previous statement made by County Supervisor Luis Alejo.

Flooding from the Pajaro River is making the slow trek south toward Las Lomas, too, and the county says it's starting to impact Elkhorn Road between Osborn and Strawberry Road.

Meaning there's an increased possibility for roads to be closed there.

As it stands the county has 3,260 people under evacuation orders.

This includes people living along a large chunk of the Salinas River, stretching from Spreckels down to just north of King City. Plus the San Lucas to Bradley area.

It also includes people living in the Arroyo Seco community, and of course Pajaro.

As for the breach: The county says the State Department of Water Resources is working to patch up the breach at the levee. An estimate as to how long that could take won't be available until the next 12 to 24 hours.

The county says the Pajaro water system is also possibly contaminated and is advising people not to use the tap water for drinking and cooking until further notice.

It's unknown what exact chemicals are in the Pajaro water system at this time.

Add to that, the flooding along Highway 1 near Watsonville has forced that part of the highway to close from Salinas Road to Riverside Drive.

During a press conference Sunday, the county says Caltrans is looking at damage along the northbound lanes but even when the water recedes, the road can't open immediately in case the foundation of that highway was busted.

Emergency Shelters are available by the county and are listed below:

• Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds 2061 E. Lake Blvd, Watsonville
• Compass Church, 10325 S. Main Street, Salinas
• Holy Trinity Church Hall 27 South El Camino Real, Greenfield
• Salvation Army Contra Costa 1491 Contra Costa Blvd, Seaside

Evacuation points are at the following locations:

• Prunedale Library      17822 Moro Rd
• Carmel Valley Library   65 W. Carmel Valley Rd.
• King City Library              402 Broadway St.

The county says some individuals reported they're hesitant to stay at these shelters over fears of being asked for their citizenship status. The county says shelters are available to anyone and everyone regardless of immigration status.