Damage Is Light as Scattered Flooding Hits N. California

Scattered flooding hit Northern California on Saturday, along with the latest in a series of wet Alaskan storms, but damage was nominal and forecasters said heavy rains that hammered the entire state for a week should be weakening for now.

In Guerneville, the hardest-hit community Saturday, two feet of floodwaters again dampened houses and roads that had been inundated earlier in the week. But by midday the Russian River was receding and authorities were cautiously optimistic that the worst of the flooding was over.

“The river is starting to go down,” said Steve Smith, a California Department of Forestry spokesman assigned to flood duty. “But then again, we’ve been tricked before.”

The storm had lost much of its zip by the time it reached Southern California on Saturday night. “It won’t be the heavy rains of the past week, but with the ground saturated there’s not much place for this new water to go,” said Kris Farnsworth, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

As of 9:30 p.m. Saturday, light to moderate showers were falling throughout Los Angeles County, but only about a quarter-inch of rain was expected to hit the area by morning. Santa Barbara and Ventura counties were harder hit, with up to half an inch falling there.

Showers are forecast to taper off this evening, leaving the Southland dry under gray skies by Monday. The next in a series of storms won’t have enough strength to reach Los Angeles, but might drop rain Monday night on Santa Barbara, Farnsworth said.

In Malibu, Pacific Coast Highway was open Saturday to residents or those working in the community. But traffic was being escorted west of Topanga Canyon as road crews continued their cleanup, causing delays of as much as 1 1/2 hours.

Traffic was also slowed considerably near the Malibu Civic Center, with Cross Creek Bridge over the Malibu Lagoon restricted to half its normal four lanes.

Three tornadoes touched down in California’s Central Valley, damaging some roofs and knocking down trees and power lines, the National Weather Service said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Department. A tornado watch was in effect for Merced, Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Tulare and Kings counties. These areas could experience periods of heavy rain, lightning, hail and high winds, the Weather Service said.

Along the Northern California coast, the most recent storm fell mercifully short of predictions--leaving two inches of rain and only scattered mudslides and road closures.

Since Wednesday--when the Russian River receded to below flood stage from its high point of 16 feet above flood level--residents of the area have been allowed to re-enter the devastated region and clean up their homes and business.

The flood Saturday covered some roads and brought water again into the lowest-lying houses along the river, hampering efforts to clean out the muck and haul off ruined belongings.

In downtown Guerneville, the Safeway supermarket celebrated its reopening after the flood by giving away five truckloads of food and other goods valued at $100,000.

Local authorities and the National Guard distributed potable water in communities along the river and advised residents to boil tap water because of the threat from water-borne diseases, such as hepatitis. Health officials were also holding clinics to give tetanus shots to anyone who came in contact with river water.

More than 320 people remained at Red Cross shelters in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol after being evacuated from the Russian River area during the past week.

In the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco, mudslides closed some roads, including southbound California 17, the main link between Santa Cruz and San Jose.

Around Sacramento, the urban flood danger also seemed to have passed as the Sacramento River crested early Saturday with few problems.

Times staff writers Dwayne Bray, Daniel Weintraub and Jerry Gillam and the Associated Press contributed to this report.