Two years ago, winter storms caused the Santa Rosa Creek in Cambria to flood, and as another storm arrives on the Central Coast, residents and the fire department are actively preparing.
“We are always preparing,” said Cambria Fire Chief Michael Burkey.
Chief Burkey says they will add more crews during the storm.
“We bring in extra staffing and extra personnel to make sure we have adequate coverage for the area, and we don’t overwhelm our crew,” Burkey said.
He says two areas historically flood the most.
“That would be the Oak Terrace Mobile Home Park and the West Village over here by Main Street and Windsor,” Burkey said.
Terri Belford, a resident and manager of Ephraim Pottery, says that two years ago, some businesses in the West Village flooded during the winter storms.
“Water flowed up from the creek, up Main Street, and up the alley behind Highway 1 and did flood some businesses,” Belford explained.
Overflow from the creek wasn’t the only reason behind the West Village flooding.
“The rain flowed from Happy Hill, the neighborhood up above, down to behind the Shell station,” Belford said.
Burkey says they will be monitoring Santa Rosa Creek during this latest storm.
“This area in 2023, it came up all the way just within about six inches of this bank here, and it punched through to the ocean out there. As you can see, the river is turning, but in significant storm events, it typically punches through right to the ocean, and the water rises pretty significantly,” he said.
He added that in 2023, the flooding actually helped clear the passageway out naturally.
“That was significant. This storm now, we’re not expecting as much problems as we did that time for that reason,” Burkey said.
Belford got sandbags delivered to her Wednesday morning.
“I can’t put them in front of the doors, obviously, until after we close for business,” she said.
If you are looking to fill sandbags, sand is available at the Cambria Dog Park parking lot and at Lampton Park. Don’t forget to bring your own bags and a shovel.
Before you go, check out these tips for filling and placing sandbags:
You can get the latest forecast by visiting the Microclimate Weather section on the KSBY website or download the free KSBY Weather app on your smartphone.
