CAMERON PARK, Calif. — Families in the Placerville area dealt with flooded neighborhoods, streets and water damage from the most recent winter storm hovering over Northern California, Saturday afternoon.
Heavy rain caused water to flow through streets, pool around properties and flood homes in Cameron Park. Sandbags worked overtime on Knollwood Drive to keep water from flowing into some homes, but others couldn't escape the powerful course of the water.
"It's pretty wild," said Cameron Park resident Zack Bryant whose backyard filled with water. "A little anxious watching the water rise. We have new neighbors who have flooded and we're pretty close to being there."
The water created a pond around Ryan Vallis' property and flooded his garage. Sandbags in the garage helped keep several inches of water from flowing further into his home, Saturday afternoon.
“[I'm] a little overwhelmed," he said. "We felt confident this morning and then that quickly went away and in an hour and a half it raised about a foot and a half."
He says water has been surrounding his home and only gets worse due to poor drainage in the area.
"There's a lake behind us that drains right into the backyard and there's not enough drainage," said Vallis. "The city needs to do something. They need to come and figure out the easement. They need to come and figure out the flooding."
Thankfully, Vallis and his neighbors in the area all have flood insurance which is required for homeowners in the area.
"This is more nerve wracking for the kids. We'll figure out the insurance part later but it's the sentimental stuff," he said.
Neighbor Zack Bryant pitched in from morning to afternoon to try to help out some of his neighbors protect their property.
"We're just trying to get sandbags, everywhere is out so we were using the inflatable bags," said Zack Bryant. "Our backyard was getting pretty jammed up with debris."
"I wondered why he had to have flood insurance.. Now I understand why we have flood insurance," said his wife, Nikki Bryant said as river-like streams of water flowed through her neighborhood.
Nearby in the Placerville area, parts of Green Valley Road flooded. Despite warnings about the dangers of traveling through flooded roads from agencies in the days leading up to the storm, some cars drove through the flooded area as heavy rains came down.
