Flood warnings remained in place Monday night for some neighborhoods along the Russian River as heavier rain is set to push through into the morning.
Residents in Guerneville were in good spirits while keeping a close eye on the river.
“The last flood that we had was probably one of the bigger ones at 46 feet,” said Annie Boutelle, who has seen a lot of floods in her 20 years living in the area.
Signs were up on Johnson Beach where the water was noticeably deeper than it was earlier in the day.
As of Monday night, it was close to 30 feet and they were expecting it to come up another two or three feet before morning.
But still nothing like that flood three years ago, when the river reached 46 feet and flooded downtown Guerneville.
“I got 6 feet of water in my house that time,” said Boutelle.
But she doesn’t live on the river anymore. It forced her out of her home so many times in the past, that she’s opted for a home on wheels.
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“After all of the fires and floods and evacuations, and stuff, so I live in a mobile home, so my home is at the top of the hill up here, and I’m not going to take in any water and I’m safe,” she said.
But some of her long-time Guerneville neighbors haven’t been that fortunate this time.
People who live on lower Mill Street, along Fife Creek, have to use floats, or wading boots, to get in and out of their homes.
And on Monday, they braced for more flooding.
“They told us by 4 a.m. it should crest,” said Jennifer Patefield of Guerneville.
She plans to stay put and make the best of it.
“What else can you do? You can find the beauty in it, or you can complain, and I’m not one to complain,” she said
People felt fortunate that they missed a lot of the moisture from that last system, hoping it’s more of the same Monday night as the rain returns, all while keeping their eyes on the river.
