The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday evening issued an evacuation order for low lying areas along the Russian River, the office announced just before 6 p.m. 

“Everyone along the Russian River from unincorporated Healdsburg to Jenner located at 36 feet or below is under evacuation order,” they said. 

The current forecast predicts that the river will crest at 35.2 feet at Guerneville on Wednesday at 7 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said in an alert. 

A temporary evacuation point has been set up at the Santa Rosa Veteran’s Hall, west parking lot, at 1351 Maple Avenue in Santa Rosa. 

Areas in the order include:

  • 32 Feet – Lower Mill Street in Guerneville and Old Bohemian Highway in Monte Rio.
  • 32.5 Feet – In Guerneville the intersection of Highway 116 and Neeley Road is closed. Mays Canyon Road by the old rodeo grounds is closed.
  • 33 Feet – In Guerneville the intersection of Highway 116 and Drake Road is closed. In Monte Rio Willow and Alder Streets flood. In Forestville Mirabel Trailer Park begins to flood.
  • 34 Feet – In Guerneville flooding begins at Johnsons Resort, Parkers Resort, Creekside Resort and Riverside Park. In Northwood, lower Redwood Drive begins to flood.
  • 35 Feet – Numerous businesses and residences in the lowest sections of towns along the Russian River are expected to flood. In Guerneville Brookside Resort begins to flood. More extensive flooding occurs at Parkers Resort. In Northwood lower Redwood Drive floods.
  • 36 feet – In Forestville, Mirabel Park Resort and Mirabel Trailer Park flood. In Guerneville, Fern Road at Highway 116 floods.

Anyone unsure whether they are under an evacuation order can go to this map.

The Sheriff’s Office advises people to take essential items such as medicines with them. Anyone who lives above the 36-foot level may have reduced or eliminated access due to flood waters. 

More school closures

Four school districts in Sonoma County will be closed Wednesday due to flooding, the Sonoma County Office of Education said. 

Closed will be all schools in the Guerneville, West Sonoma County Union, Monte Rio Union school districts and Kashia Elementary, according to the office. 

The reason for the closures is flooding, the office said. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.