Evacuation orders issued yesterday for sections of the Eel River Valley have been downgraded but several zones remain under evacuation warnings, including areas around the Van Duzen and Mad rivers, due to flooding.
In a storm update today, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office cautioned residents that they should “remain cautious and prepared to leave again quickly if conditions worsen.”
“Stay alert for potential hazards when returning to your residence or property, including debris and/or water on roadways,” the release states.
Find the areas under evacuation warnings as well as other storm-related information, including where to find sand bags and the location of emergency shelters and warming centers, in the update here.
An evacuation center opened Thursday at the Fortuna Firemen’s Pavilion will close at 1 p.m. today, according to the sheriff’s office.
State Route 211 is open as of this morning and, the sheriff’s office states “based on forecast projections, access to Ferndale is not anticipated to be impacted at this time.”
Moderate flooding in the Eel River delta is expected to continue through tonight, with a flood warning in effect until Saturday afternoon, according to the Eureka Office of the National Weather Service, which reported 72-hour rain totals in the region included 6.24 inches in Orleans, 11.09 in Redway, 4.02 in Trinidad, 5.30 in Fortuna and 4.98 in Eureka.
Updates on the forecasts for local rivers can be found at www.cnrfc.noaa.gov and up-to-date information about road conditions from Caltrans can be found here.
This article appears in Bitten.
