An atmospheric river storm continues to take a heavy toll on the North Bay, where a third day of nonstop rain Friday caused widespread problems.
Flooded roadways, stranded cars and mudslides kept emergency responders on their toes.
Residents in Guerneville said they’re used to dealing with flooding, but they’ve never seen their community so saturated at this point in the year.
"I’ve lived here for over 33 years and this is the earliest we’ve ever had any flooding like this, so it’s going to be an interesting season," Wayne Skala said.
Craig Greetis was stranded in his home. The nearby creek overflowed Friday morning right onto Greetis's court.
"Just going to hang out at home and wait till the waters recede," he said.
A flood warning was issued for the Russian River. Parks and beaches along the river, which was running fast and furious, were waterlogged and closed.
"We are absolutely keeping a very close eye on the Russian River and all the stream gauges and working very closely with our partners at Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management as well as our partners with the National Weather Service," said Karen Hancock with the Sonoma County Fire District.
Sonoma County Fire District’s swift water rescue team has their equipment stocked up and ready.
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"They are ready to go on any call as needed, whether that's a stranded vehicle on a flooded roadway or out on the Russian River," Hancock said.
Aside from the rising waters, trees have been falling across the North Bay. One giant oak tree came crashing down on Bennett Valley Road in Santa Rosa Friday afternoon, narrowly missing a car.
The impacts of the storm have been widespread, and it’s just the start of the storm season
"It’s frightening, it really is," Skala said. "As I said, this is the earliest I’ve ever experienced it. We're in for a bumpy ride folks. Get prepared."
