‘Not out of the woods yet’: Latest California storm brings fresh dangers and worry

Irene Merrill knows all too well the quiet — and the fury — of the Salinas River. #cawx pic.twitter.com/FvwSJpzgox — NWS Bay Area 🌉 January 13, 2023 “These storms continue to be dangerous and dynamic, and pose a threat to communities throughout the state of California,” Nancy Ward, director of the California Office of Emergency Services, said Friday. “The water’s gonna do what the water’s gonna do.” The Salinas is that famed river of “East of Eden,” in which John Steinbeck wrote: “It was not a fine river at all, but it was the only one we had and so we boasted about it — how dangerous it was in a wet winter and how dry it was in a dry summer.” On Friday afternoon, Eddie Gonzalez was assessing the damage the river had done to his parents’ property just outside Chualar. “It’s been a harrowing 72 hours, with thousands of people under evacuation orders,” Salinas City Councilman Steve McShane said Friday night. “And thanks to coordinated efforts between city, county, state and national assets, it’s looking like the loss of life and the significant loss of property may have been avoided.” The river flooded more agricultural land and open space than urban and suburban areas, McShane said.