Much of the town of Guerneville is submerged today thanks to a rising Russian River, and it's only going to get worse by nighttime.
Those who are sticking it out in town and who are now cut off from the rest of Sonoma County have been posting photos and video to social media of what the flooding looks like.
The river is expected to crest at around 46 feet at 10 p.m. tonight, and if it doesn't climb any higher than it will not break the record high crests of 48.56 feet set in February 1986, or 49.7 feet, which it hit in December 1955. This will be the highest crest the river has seen since 1997, however.
Fans of the popular LGBT-centric R3 Resort are going to be sad to see that the whole place is under 6 feet of muddy water right now, and that mess is going to be a lot to clean up. The hotel, which is no stranger to scenes like this, was closed for over a year in the last decade thanks to a previous flood.
During a particularly wet December back in 2015, the Chronicle ran a piece about how Guerneville always revives and comes back from its flood devastation. But this looks like it will be a tough one.
Below, the documentation so far.
Posted by Giovanni Carlo Di Fabio on Wednesday, February 27, 2019
An employee of the R3 Hotel in Guerneville just sent me this video of the hotel’s pool ... pic.twitter.com/fN9V9v2jb7
— Sarah Ravani (@SarRavani) February 27, 2019
Another video sent to me by a Guerneville resident. This was taken at Mill and Fourth streets. Cars are completely underwater. Residents say the water is at least 4 feet high in some places pic.twitter.com/pBiwL2FO7D
— Sarah Ravani (@SarRavani) February 27, 2019
One of my favorite places in California is underwater.. R3 hotel.. Climate change exist...
Posted by Marco Arellano on Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Guerneville bracing for flood.https://t.co/KjjtxEPK1a pic.twitter.com/S9fel1s5b9
— Karl Mondon (@karlmondon) February 27, 2019
MAJOR FLOODING: Buildings in Guerneville are submerged underwater due to the recent storm. https://t.co/AmrZyaCMR6
— kcranews (@kcranews) February 27, 2019
The only way in and out of Guerneville is through a canoe or boat. The small North Bay city is "officially an island," said @sonomasheriff. The nearby town of Monte Rio was also isolated by floodwaters. https://t.co/OyAV8iYiY4 pic.twitter.com/lyeRzFFTNM
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) February 27, 2019
Floodwaters have overwhelmed parts of the North Bay, including this area in Forestville.
— Brendan Weber (@BrendanNWeber) February 27, 2019
Good news? The heaviest rain is gone. Bad news? The Russian River at Guerneville isn't expected to crest until tonight. https://t.co/PGZm1Rmc8R pic.twitter.com/jXVRfseHHQ
