With the worst of this week’s winter storm now passed, San Luis Obispo County is managing resources and recovery while preparing for future rain.
Several flash flood warnings were distributed throughout the county yesterday and this morning. A driver was overtaken by floodwater near Avila Beach, a man was found dead in a boat parked in Morro Bay and a five-year-old child went missing in San Miguel yesterday after being swept away by floodwaters.
SLO County Emergency Services Coordinator Rachel Dion said crews are assessing damage across the county.
“We're working with County Planning and Building to get out to all of the homes that were damaged to assess the damage and whether or not those structures can still be inhabited. Our Public Works Crews have been working like crazy — they're out assessing our roadways that have issues and still working on things like downed trees,” Dion said.
So far, the City of Paso Robles has lifted all evacuation orders put into place yesterday. However, there is still an area in the Oceano region near the Arroyo Grande Channel that is under evacuation orders. There is a map of that area available at emergencyslo.org.
The county is expecting more rainfall this week and is urging residents to stay away from bodies of water like creeks, rivers and the ocean.
Toni Davis is Cal Fire’s Public Information Officer for SLO County. She said any body of water over 18 inches can move a vehicle, so people need to be extra careful if heavy rain returns.
“People want to get to where they're going and they think that they can because their truck is lifted or their cars clearing the water. But you don't know that there's not running water in the middle of that, and the roads washed out, and then you're the next person that we've got to go in and rescue,” Davis said.
The search for the missing five-year old boy continues today after the SLO County Sheriff’s Department called it off yesterday due to unsafe conditions. The Sheriff’s Office identified the missing child as Kyle Dolan.
For more information on emergency services throughout the county, visit readyslo.org. And, if you live in Santa Barbara or Monterey Counties, there are links to interactive maps on our website showing areas affected most by the storm.
