Unexpected disasters on the Sonoma Coast

From fires to mudslides, the North Coast has seen its share of natural disasters. Take a look back at some we won’t soon forget.|

In Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties mother nature, can bring us great joy and she can make us suffer. Earthquakes, floods, and fires are just some of the hazards we accept and prepare for when 90% of the time we have beautiful sunny skies and temperate weather.

Last week’s brutal storms flooded river communities, rising the Russian river to 38 feet, its highest mark since 2006 when it rose to 42 feet during New Year’s storms. Among the photos of hardy Guerneville residents canoeing down flooded streets, were images of the somewhat unexpected aftereffects of winter storms, homes destroyed by fallen trees.

It made us think of the many times we had seen this before in our archives - homes and thoroughfares ripped apart by unexpected disasters. Whether it be by nature or man-made the photos are dramatic. The perseverance of the residents afterwards - heroic. In many cases, it was merely a home lost, in some a life. Click through the gallery above to read about the individual stories from our recent local history.

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