By Mike Hazlip—
Citrus Heights weathered last weekend’s storm without major flooding or damage, according to a report by General Services Director Regina Cave.
Cave said the city began offering sandbags in advance of the storm, which are available from City Hall and at C-Bar-C Park throughout the storm season each year.
City staff and contractors were on standby ahead of the worst weather Sunday, according to Cave. She said calls began coming in at about noon until after 9 p.m. Sunday. Crews responded to unblock drains and place warning signs near creeks.
“[W]e expected to see some localized street flooding particularly as the storm progressed and creeks reached capacity, but overall staff feel the drain system performed well,” she said.
Community efforts to keep creeks clean also helped the city avoid greater flooding, Cave said.
“This type of event, however, is a reminder of how important it is for our residents to be prepared, particularly those who live along creeks, canals, whose properties are at or below street grade, and in our more rural areas with open ditches,” Cave said.
The city credited residents with helping officials identify problem areas.
“We do want to thank all of our residents who called or messaged in during the storm to report blocked drains and flooded streets – we rely on our community as our eyes and ears and in this case, it helped our small General Services team respond quickly,” Cave said.
The storm, dubbed a “Bomb Cyclone” by meteorologists, impacted the state causing localized flooding in several areas of the Central Valley. A record-setting amount of rain, 5.44 inches, dropped in Sacramento during a 24 hour period on Sunday, the National Weather Service reported.
Citrus Heights Police Lt. Michael Wells said officers responded to over 20 incidents with roadway flooding. Sylvan Road was closed when Arcade Creek crested, and one call related to a house flooding when the caller’s pump lost power.
For more, see story: Historic rainfall leads to flooded roadways, power outages in Citrus Heights
