Officials are once again asking you to avoid any non-essential driving today as heavy rain and winds are bringing down trees and power lines. As of 730am Hwy 1 was currently closed south of Big Gulch Road in Gualala due to a tree and power lines down. Crews are on the scene but there is no estimated time to reopen it. A Wind Advisory remains in effect until 10am this morning.
This new round of rain has Flood Warnings up for several rivers today. The Garcia River is forecast to rise above 10 feet late this morning which could flood Highway 1 near the Garcia River crossing. When the Russian River hits 15 feet it can flood Highway 175 at the Russian River bridge and Highway 222 near Ukiah which officials say could happen by 9am this morning and get closer to 16 feet late by this afternoon then slowly drop below flood stage late tonight. Officials are also watching the Navarro River which could reach peak flooding level of 30 feet near Hwy 1 and Hwy 128 around 8pm tonight.
A contract worker coming to help with power restoration Mendocino County has reportedly been killed in a car crash. Officials say Edgar Castillo of Elk Grove was on his way to work with PG&E Saturday morning when the utility service truck he was driving rolled over on Mountain View Road in Manchester. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says a passenger who had to be cut from the truck is in serious condition. Castillo and his passenger were working for Mountain F Enterprises which was contracted by PG&E for storm response and were headed to Point Arena. The CHP is still looking into what caused the crash.
A Mendocino County man reported missing Saturday has reportedly been found dead at the bottom of a cliff. A Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office spokesman tells Mendo Fever the man’s wife reported him missing Saturday night and while a search ensued between Whale’s Gulch and Whitethorn, the storm conditions hampered the search which included the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, Whale’s Gulch Volunteer Fire Department, Southern Humboldt County Technical Rescue Team, and Shelter Cove Volunteer Fire Department. On Sunday morning the man’s body was reportedly spotted by a searcher a couple hundred yards down a cliff. His name has not been made public.
Willits Police say three people have been arrested after a search warrant turned up Molotov Cocktails and several weapons at a home in Brooktrails. Willits Police and Mendocino County Deputies went to serve felony warrants January 3 for Derek and Denesa Cleek who at first wouldn’t let them in the home. Once they got in they reportedly found a third person with warrants, Garrick Hornlein of Willits. Police allege inside the home they found Molotov Cocktails in plain view already assembled for use, a .44 Magnum Lever Action Rifle, a sawed off Winchester Model shotgun and nearly 700 rounds of ammunition along with meth and needles.
The Lakeport Planning Commission is reportedly getting ready to consider a new affordable housing complex. At their meeting Wednesday evening the commission is set to take up a general plan amendment and zoning change for the proposed 40-unit apartment complex on S. Smith Street south of Martin Street, near other affordable housing projects. Lake County News reports it would include 40 total units within five multi-family residential buildings with six units ADA compliant and four said to be sensory impaired units. It will also include a community center, a playground and half basketball court.
As difficult as all the rain has been, it is managing to fill Lake Mendocino which os a main drinking water sources for Ukiah, Hopland and Cloverdale.The Ukiah City Water Director tell the Willits News the east fork of the Russian River is filling up the lake for the first time in three years of drought conditions and could reach nearly 100 percent of the target water supply level for the coming year. Lake Mendocino’s capacity is 68,400 acre feet of water and Water Director Sean White said Saturday before the current storm started the lake’s volume measured about 63,000 acre feet.
No one is hurt but a Fort Bragg resident is getting help from the Red Cross following a Sunday night house fire. Mendo Fever reports the fire at the home near Georges Lane and Oklahoma Lane was out within 30 minutes after firefighters were able to get there quickly. They reportedly stayed on scene for several hours during mop up and watching for hot spots. There is no word yet on what started the fire.
