Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate in a Northern California community after a levee broke on Saturday amid yet another round of heavy rainfall to impact the Golden State, officials said.
A levee on the Pajaro River broke about three miles east of Pajaro, near the city of Watsonville, officials told local media, adding that the river’s levee failed at around midnight. Photos and aerial video footage showed homes, businesses, schools, and cars submerged under several feet of water.
“My heart hurts tonight for the residents of Pajaro. We were hoping to avoid and prevent this situation, but the worst case scenario has arrived with the Pajaro River overtopping and levee breaching at about midnight,” Luis Alejo, chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, wrote in a Twitter post. A flood warning for the area is still in effect, according to the National Weather Service, noting that Pajaro River flooding is impacting Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties….