When the rain and the river wouldnt stop

FEBRUARY 27, 1986 2:00 PM L. PIERCE CARSON

The flood of the century turned the Presidents Day holiday into a soggy nightmare for Napa Valley residents. A rampaging Napa River and its rain-swollen tributaries swept through the Napa Valley last week taking lives, destroying vineyards and homes worth millions and turning thousands of local residents lives upside down. Building for nearly one week, the lO0-year storm turned out to be the flood that engineers and proponents of the ill-fated Napa River flood control project of the 1970s warned Napans about. A wave of tropical Pacific storms assaulted northern California, dumping between 12 and 28 inches of rain throughout the valley. Babbling winter brooks became raging torrents as storms intensified, causing tremendous runoff from already saturated hillsides. The valley's catch basins filled to capacity, overflowed and poured millions of gallons of sediment-heavy rainwater into waterways already filled to overflowing. The scope of last week's flood took all by surprise, although emergency officials were on the job when the first indications of trouble lapped at area doorsteps that early holiday morning. Not even flood-seasoned oldtimers predicted the water would rise as rapidly and as high as it did. Reports of the river rising an inch an hour as well as a wall of water coming down Napa Creek were not exaggerations. At the height of the disaster, the Napa River crested at an all time high of 30 feet, five feet above flood stage in Napa. Upvalley, the river crested at 20 feet, seven feet above the flood warning mark. Without stretching the imagination, last week's flood could be categorized as the most disruptive natural disaster to affect Napa only since the 1906 earthquake and the most devastating flood here since the winter of 1896-97. Napa County was one of the three counties hardest hit by the series of storms and subsequent inundation. As many as 7,000 people throughout the county had to be evacuated from homes and businesses. Emergency shelters quickly opened to house the storm-tossed refugees. Volunteers by the hundreds gathered to wrap chilled-to-the-bone evacuees in warm blankets and provide them with nourishment. Others opened up their homes and served up hot meals and spirits. Local hoteliers opened up their accommodations to the homeless and restaurants and caterers quickly volunteered to feed evacuees. For a time, the quality of life as Napa Valley residents have come to know it, was swept away in a muddy torrent. By late Tuesday, the worst was over, although heavy showers continued sporadically for two more days.

It was only then that area residents could return to both homes and businesses to assess the damage damage that is expected to top the $100 million mark as catastrophic losses continue to be totted up. There was another kind of loss as well last week. Three people died during the floodstorm and 27 people were injured. At least 245 homes were destroyed by turbulent waters, about 120 businesses, mostly in Napa, were severely damaged as well and 25,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers were without power or gas or both for lengthy periods. Hundreds of homes and automobiles were damaged and personal effects by the ton were scrapped as residents attempted to dry out from last week's devastating storm. Damage to local agriculture was estimated at $20 million. As much as 20 percent of valley vineyards were damaged and possibly lost to production this year. Leisure time pursuits also will be affected in Napa for some time. Damage to parks alone in the city has been estimated close to $2 million, closing some of them for months to come. President Ronald Reagan and Gov. George Deukmejian issued national and state disaster declarations, qualifying local residents for financial flood relief. Flood losses are enormous. Local, state and federal governments have been quick to offer aid. But it is the knowledge that neighbors, co-workers, friends and more often than not complete strangers extended helping hands that has kept Napa Valley's flood victims going.