At least one person died after heavy rain and flash floods hit Redding on Sunday, and city officials were racing to unclog drains and repair damage in preparation for more stormy weather this week.
Redding Mayor Mike Littau confirmed the death in a social media post. Police and firefighters were busy rescuing people from the flooding through Sunday evening, Littau said.
The storm “overwhelmed infrastructure” because a lot of rain fell in a short amount of time, and flooding was seen across the city, the City of Redding said in a social media update on Monday.
City workers took advantage of a break in the rain on Monday to clear storm drains and get people in place to respond to upcoming storms, which are expected to be stronger than what the city saw Sunday, according to the update.
All city roads were open as of Monday morning, except for State Route 273 at South Bonnyview Road, Buenaventura Boulevard and Wyndham Drive, the City said in a statement.
Redding is under a flood watch through Friday afternoon, as a series of warm atmospheric rivers are expected to bring moderate to heavy rainfall in the valley, foothills and mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
The flood watch extends throughout the northern Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills, including the communities of Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Red Bluff, Marysville and Yuba City.
The storms could flood urban and low-lying areas, and there’s a risk of mudslides in the foothills and mountains.
People shouldn’t drive or walk through flooded roads because water levels can be hard to judge. The City of Redding asked motorists to consider not driving at all during bouts of heavy rainfall.
An evacuation center was set up at Pilgrim Congregational Church, and the City is giving out free sand for sandbags.
