Storms flood streets, down lines in Mid-Valley

Heavy rain and wind gusts on Saturday and early Sunday upended trees and fences across the Mid-Valley, damaged cars, downed power lines and made ponds of residential streets and yards.

Highway 70 at McGowan Parkway in Olivehurst remained closed through Sunday, and a family dog was struck by a car and killed after escaping through a gate that had been damaged by high winds.

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Beale Air Force Base gates closed for several hours Sunday morning, according to Col. Phil Stewart, 9th Reconnaissance Wing commander, until workers could assess minor flood damage and clear debris.

Lowlying areas suffered minor flood damage, he said, "and the base was without power for a few hours."

Brief power outages were reported throughout Yuba County.

"There's nowhere for this water to go," said Tracey Beeler, a resident of Martel Drive in Olivehurst, which had water deep enough late Sunday morning for at least one young resident to enjoy a ride on the water with an air mattress.

"I figured I'd have to swim to get to work tomorrow," said Shirley Derryberry, a neighbor who was attempting to rake her way to a drain in the street on Sunday afternoon.

Stan Richins, a Caltrans District 3 maintenance manager, said that northbound Highway 70 at McGowan Parkway is likely to remain closed to traffic until at least this afternoon, due to a flooded drainage system.

"The ground was already saturated from the rains we received earlier in the week," he said. Sunday's early-morning rain "just overloaded the whole system."

Meteorologist Jim Mathews from the National Weather Service in Sacramento said wind gusts knocked out weather equipment at the Yuba County Airport just after 12:30 a.m.

A 45 mile-per-hour gust had been measured at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

Beale had a gust of 53 miles per hour at 4:38 a.m. Sunday, and measured 1.64 inches of rain for a 24-hour period ending at 4 a.m.

In Yuba City, high winds split and toppled a tree on Anthony Way, next door to resident Dorothy Peck, 81. The tree toppled onto her grandson's Ford F-250 King Cab, caving in the top and windshield.

"The roof is just gone," she said of the damage. "That wind was really howling. It was just crazy."

On Seventh Avenue in Olivehurst, frustrated residents and business owners spent the afternoon wading through water and wishing it would disappear.

"I couldn't even open the door," said Paul Sahota, owner of Olivehurst Market, of water that flooded his parking lot and stood a foot deep near the front entrance when he arrived at 8 a.m.

The store had no interior damage, but business was a complete wash.

"No drains are working, and nobody can park," he said.

A few doors down from Olivehurst Market, a large tree collapsed into Seventh Avenue, taking a fence, a utility box and wires down with it.

Robert Johnson stood nearby, looking across an expanse of water to his home, which was entirely surrounded by the deluge.

"The county was supposed to build new gutters, sidewalks and culverts here," he said from a dry patch on a mostly submerged stretch of Seventh Avenue.

"We've been hearing this for years. I think they're just blowing smoke up our butts," said Johnson

But by noon Sunday, the storm was well on its way out of the area, and residents took to tree limbs and damaged fencing with power tools, and took care of other storm-related business.

Roberta Hammond-Gafford of East 22nd Street in Marysville performed the solemn task of burying her beloved 9-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, Reba.

At 12:35 a.m., she said, a heavy gust of wind broke the latch to her backyard gate.

"My two labs got out," she said. The second dog made it home safe and sound.

A neighbor told her that the driver of the truck that hit Reba "never slowed down or stopped."

The dog, she said, "was like one of my kids."

According to meteorologist Mathews, a brief dry spell is expected today followed by rain Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Swollen creeks could spill over, but rivers through Yuba-Sutter, he said, "should stay below flood stage."

"I would say you're out of the woods," he said.

And after Wednesday "it looks like we'll have some dry weather."

Chris Kaufman contributed to this report.

CONTACT Nancy Pasternack at npasternack@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4781. Find her on Facebook at /ADnpasternack or on Twitter at @ADnpasternack.