TO CHIEF METEOROLOGIST MARK FINAN. THE STORMS WE HAD LAST YEAR ON NEW YEAR’S BROUGHT EXCESSIVE RAIN TO THE WEST SLOPE OF THE SIERRA, INUNDATING A LOT OF THE RIVERS ON THE WEST SLOPE. THE BIGGEST CONCERN IS THE COSUMNES RIVER. IT’S THE ONLY RIVER ON THE WEST SLOPE. THAT DOESN’T HAVE A DAM ON IT. SO WHEN WE SEE EXCESSIVE RAIN, IT FLOWS DOWN FROM THE FOOTHILLS INTO THE VALLEY, BRINGING US PICTURES LIKE THIS. THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE SEEN FLOODING IN THE VALLEY FROM THE COSUMNES, AND IT WON’T BE THE LAST. LET ME SHOW YOU WHY THE COSUMNES RIVER IS AN INTERESTING RIVER ON THE WEST SLOPE OF THE SIERRA. RELATIVELY SMALL. WATERSHED. IT TAKES IN SOME OF THE WATER IN EL DORADO COUNTY AND AMADOR COUNTY, AND THERE ARE A FEW BRANCHES OF SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50 AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 88. BUT ANY RAINFALL THAT HAPPENS HERE FROM 7000FT, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE VALLEY FLOOR HAS TO FUNNEL INTO THE COSUMNES RIVER, AND IT DOES SO MOST YEARS. WE CAN HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF RAIN WE GET HERE. BUT LAST YEAR ON NEW YEAR’S, THIS WATERSHED SAW 10 TO 12IN OF RAIN IN JUST ABOUT 36 TO 48 HOURS. SO ALL OF THAT WATER HAD TO COME DOWN THE HILL EVENTUALLY COMING INTO SACRAMENTO COUNTY. NOW THERE IS A FLOOD GAUGE ON THE COSUMNES RIVER NOT TOO FAR FROM RANCHO MURIETA. A LITTLE SPOT RIGHT HERE CALLED MICHIGAN BAR. THE LEVEL WE SAW LAST YEAR WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST LEVEL EVER RECORDED THERE AT MICHIGAN BAR AT 16.6FT. THE LEVEL WE THE HIGHEST LEVEL WE’VE EVER SEEN WAS 1997 AT 18.5FT. SO. THAT WAS A LOT OF WATER. NOW, OF COURSE, FROM MICHIGAN BAR THAT WATER CONTINUES TO FLOW THROUGH SACRAMENTO COUNTY, BASICALLY FRAMED BY GRANT LINE ROAD ROAD ON THE ON THE NORTH AND DILLARD ROAD ON THE SOUTH. AND IN BETWEEN IS WILTON. LAST YEAR IN THE WILTON AREA, WE SAW SOME LEVEES START TO CRUMBLE IN THIS AREA, AND SOME WERE EVEN OVERTOPPED. AND FROM THERE, FARTHER DOWNSTREAM, THERE IS HIGHWAY 99. THE RIVER BASICALLY GOING RIGHT UNDER HIGHWAY 99. BUT YOU GET CASES LIKE LAST YEAR, IT STARTS GOING OVER HIGHWAY 99. WELL, THERE IS ALSO A STREAM GAUGE IN HERE TO TELL YOU JUST HOW HIGH THAT RIVER MAY BE. THE FORECAST WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY. SPOT ON. THIS IS THE FORECAST FROM THE RIVER FORECAST CENTER THAT CAME OUT ON THE MORNING BEFORE. WE SAW THE FLOODING. THE GREEN LINE I THE FORECAST. THE BLUE LINE IS THE ACTUAL. SO YOU CAN SEE IT WAS GOING ABOVE FLOOD STAGE, VERY SIMILAR LEVELS TO WHAT WE SAW BACK IN 1997, 2006 AND 1998. AND THE THING IS, WITH THESE KIND OF HISTORIC LEVELS THAT WE’VE SEEN IN THE PAST, WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. WE KNOW THAT WATER GOES. OVER DILLARD ROAD, WE KNOW WATER GOES OVER TWIN CITIES ROAD AND ALL THE OTHER ROADS IN THAT AREA, AS WELL AS HIGHWAY 99. SO THIS WAS FORECAST MORE THAN 12 HOURS IN ADVANCE WITH THESE KIND OF FLOWS ON THE COSUMNES, WE ARE LIKELY TO SEE FLOODING AGAIN SOMETIME. IN THE FUTURE. IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY. AND WE CAN FORECAST THAT BECAUSE OF THESE GOOD FORECASTS THAT COME FROM THE RIVER FORECAST CENTER. THANK YOU, MARK. AND AS YOU JUST HEARD, THERE, WE KNEW THIS AREA WAS GOING TO FLOOD DOZENS OF PEOPLE HAD TO BE RESCUED AFTER THEY WERE TRAPPED IN THEIR CARS. SOME VIDEO OF THAT RIGHT HERE. THE BODIES OF THREE PEOPLE WERE FOUND IN THE AFTERMATH. KCRA THREE INVESTIGATES REACHED OUT TO THE SACRAMENTO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW THE STORM WAS HANDLED BY THEM, INCLUDING ROAD CLOSURES AND STAFFING LEVELS. WE PUT IN THAT REQUEST MORE THAN TWO MONTHS AGO. NOW, OFFICIALS SAY THEY’RE STILL WORKING ON A RESPONSE. WE ALSO ASKED CALTRANS FOR INFORMATION ON HOW THEY HANDLE THE STORM, INCLUDING ROAD CLOSURES. THEY’VE ALSO BEEN WORKING ON THAT REQUE