By Stephen Baxter, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Prolonged rain predicted from an El Niño winter could prompt flooding and potential evacuations in the San Lorenzo Valley and other areas of Santa Cruz County, county leaders said this week.
Central firefighters wade through the water at the corner of Capitola and Stockton Avenues as they evacuate residents and merchants as the flood waters from Noble Gulch Creek inundate Capitola Village in March 2011. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel file)
Flood maps released by the county as part of its draft Local Hazards Mitigation Plan this month show areas in Felton and Paradise Park that have flooded in the past, as well as areas vulnerable to a 100-year flood along the Pajaro River in Watsonville and Soquel Creek in Soquel and Capitola.
John Presleigh, the Santa Cruz County director of Public Works, said Wednesday that recent work on Soquel Creek and Salsipuedes Creek on the east edge of Watsonville should stave off floods. County workers recently removed vegetation along Soquel Creek to try to prevent floods, and construction work has been done on Salispuedes Creek in Watsonville to withstand a flood such as the one there in 1995, Presleigh said.
“We feel pretty comfortable with those areas, but knock on wood,” Presleigh said.
“It’s been designated a significant El Niño year, so we’re going to take every precaution we can. We’ve coordinated with utility companies and other agencies.”
In the 163-page Local Hazards draft plan, county planning department leaders and a 35-member Emergency Management Council helped outline flood-prone areas and describe flood prevention projects. The council included leaders from fire departments, county public works, city leaders, Caltrans and other groups.
The documents highlights severe floods in Santa Cruz County’s history, such as the four days of intense rain in December 1955 that created a logjam on the San Lorenzo River. Floods displaced nearly 400 people and killed seven. Another flood from El Niño rain in 1982 inundated homes along Covered Bridge Road in Felton and in Paradise Park in Santa Cruz.
“Although dozens of houses in the flood-prone areas of the county have been elevated above the 100-year flood or wave run-up elevation over the past decade, areas previously inundated by flooding will continue to do so in the future, with potentially substantial impacts to property, lives and infrastructure,” according to the plan.
Santa Cruz County leaders released this map of properties that have flooded more than once. (County of Santa Cruz — Contributed)
“No major flood control projects have been constructed in the Aptos Creek, Soquel Creek, or the Santa Cruz County portion of the San Lorenzo River basins. A multiple-purpose reservoir on Soquel Creek, approximately 5 miles upstream from Monterey Bay, was found to be economically justified, but has not been implemented. A major flood control project, which includes levees and channel improvements, was constructed on the San Lorenzo River,” according to the plan.
Presleigh said county workers constantly monitor levels of the San Lorenzo River during storms and have ordered evacuations by automated calls and news releases. Residents can register cellphones for emergency notices on the Santa Cruz Regional 911 Center website.
Areas along Aptos Creek are mainly the responsibility of homeowners, Presleigh said.
Karen Hibble, co-executive director of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, said she has been reminding Aptos residents and business owners to have emergency kits, sandbags and evacuation plans ready.
“We’re trying to get people prepared now,” Hibble said.
Areas of Felton near Covered Bridge and Graham Hill roads may be susceptible to floods, according to a county map. (Santa Cruz County — Contributed)
A chamber event to help residents prepare will take place 5-6:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Best Western Seacliff Inn, 7500 Old Dominion Court in Aptos.Earlier in October, federal leaders also advised California residents to consider flood insurance even if they don’t live in flood-prone areas.
“If you’re in a low lying area, I would recommend you get it,” Presleigh said of flood insurance.
Information from FEMA on preparing for floods is online at www.FloodSmart.gov.
For high resolution flood maps of Santa Cruz County, visit the county’s website, click on Maps, then Emergency Management, then Flood and Landslide.
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