Having been involved in two evacuations here in Yuba County from two different Rivers, I can speak from experiance which is the best teacher. My first experiance was in 1986 during the Winter of 1986-87 which saw water from rains resulting in Oroville Dam Reservoir, Shasta Dam Reservoir and other local Reservoirs near capacity and as suspected by some, the State held back the water in Lake Oroville so Southern California, who had financed the Oroville dam, could be assured of water and Rice Farmers would have ample water also.
Then, after the high water had sat against the Yuba River South bank levee for several days, soaking the levee from the River and from continuing rain, the Rivers began to drop causing People to feel relieved and start to come back to Linda where they had chosen to leave from during the extended raining and High water, some had gone to Sutter city, others to grass valley or other high places, staying with Friends or relatives out of the danger. My family who had been through the 1955 flood in Yuba City, chose to stay in Sutter a while longer, I was still here in Linda, running my Truck Tire Business and Patrolling at night with the Sheriffs Department. I was getting ready to go in to the Sheriffs Office for patrol duty, when I heard on my Police scanner the Sheriff dispatch a Deputy to the area of Feather River Blvd. and LindHurst to check out a report of a Levee leaking water behind Cal Trans. What was happening was the Soaked Levee could not dry out fast enough to keep up with the dropping water and Large Chunks broke off, opening avenues for the remianing Flood water to work through the Levee and collaps it, Rapid Draw Down, it is called.
I decided to Drive my Tire Service Truck out to Sutter in case the Levee was in danger so I would have a way to service my accounts. As I left my House, a neighbor who had stayed at her home and told me if she saw me leave, she would be right behind, did follow me out later but as she started to go through the Underpass on F.R.B., her car became flooded and she had to be lifted out by Sheriffs Deputys. As I went up to the High way 70 I saw Flood water flowing from the Levee, spreading out over the Open field next to Caltrans, going South. I continued on to Sutter and returned for duty with the Department. We chased looters out of West Linda who were in Boats with our own boats, We knocked on the Roofs of Homes that were under water to see if any one was inside, we patrolled the low water areas in Patrol cars. The Water flowed through West Linda, Edgewater, Arboga to settle in Plumas lake for 19 days.
My next experiance was the Winter of 1996-97. The prior winter of 1995-96 was Like 1986, high water near the top of some levees and I was President of RD 784 and conducted the Flood watch. We had several Boils near our levees on the Feather River and a leakage through the Scour trench under the Levee where it broke in 1986. I was fortunate to have Naumes Farms supply us with Workers to sand bag the Boils and we contained the Water behind the levees. In 1996-97, I had resigned from RD 784 in February of 1996 and like all other citizens South of the Yuba River listened for orders to evacuate from our Supervisors who were standing by at the Court house.
The water stayed against the Levee banks for weeks, the Tropical Pineapple expresses were stacked up one behind the other out past Hawaii and hit the west Coast one after another. I gathered my Family together during a time when internal Flooding was occurring all over the South County, and we locked up our houses, and drove to New castle the night before the Country Club Levee broke, where we slept in a Mall Parking lot in our RVs. The Next day I rented three Motel Rooms where we stayed for Five days. During the First night at the Motel we listened for news and were finally tolsd teh Levee had broken at Country Club. No warning was given to evacuate by RD 784 The County or any one, three people were drowned trying to escape, others barely escaped with what ever goods they could grab. The Water from the Country Club Break only barely reached west Linda because that was a uphill direction, then it again settled in the Plumas lake area for 19 days.
We were fortunate to have Money available for Motels, Food, Gas for the duration in 1997 and fortunate to have many Reletives in Sutter to put us up for duration in 1986. You have a feeling of Being lost, your home is not available to you, you are displaced and it is terrible. Then When you are let back in to the area, the Water system is No good, Electricity is off, and no stortes are open. Beale Air Force base sent daily Water Trucks with Fresh Drinking water that we met at the same time every day with Buckets or pots that we filled up with Water, God Bless the Air force! Be vigilant.
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