European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday february 23, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 3 Only u rooftop shows left photo obo c Tyler Bland which was submerged by flood ulcers. Right three dogs on top of a House at Mur Stille Calif. Null in be rescued. 24,000 in 2 towns Home Ess after levee Breaks Marysville Calif. A flood Waters from a ruptured in acc spread across two submerged towns Friday leaving 28 Square mites under water and leaving at least 24,000 people without Homes authorities said. Trucks hauled Rock 30 Miles from a Quarry in a frantic Effort to fill in the Iso fool wide Gap in the Cuba River Ivec which began to crumble thursday at dusk after More than a week of fierce Rains. And boats and helicopters searched the area for people stranded in the water. There was no Way to Tell How Long the 24,000 to 26,000 residents of Linda and Olivehurst would be kept from their swamped Homes but it would be at least another Day very Likely More said Yuba county undersheriff Dennis Moore. I did t get anything out except my Pic Tures of the family said Joyce virile of Olivehurst who was among the Many Refu gees at Beale fab. After tuesday they said everything was Fine and we should t worry  the refugees will not be allowed to re turn Home until water supplies arc certified free of contamination Moore said. One victim of the flooding was the peach tree mall a shopping Center of 35 stores in Linda near the site of the break. Part of it is a two Story building and All you can Sec of it is the Kmart sign on the roof said Moore. A half dozen police and National guard helicopters plucked people from rooftops in Linda whose residents were taken to Rye shelters within two hours of the breach said Bill Helms of the state flood control Cen Ter in Sacramento. Residents screamed tapped pans and waved flashlights to attract the airborne rescuers to come and get them from their rooftops said David Gordon Hall of Sac Ramento radio station of by who was in Linda. A 40-foot breach grew to about 100 feet by Friday morning said Nasur Balenis per visor of flood control at the state department of water resources. The breach was a Surprise because the Yuba River was 5w feet below flood stage and receding when the levee crumbled said Bateni. The police could not set up guidelines Quick enough at the different Corners on which Way to go to get away from there so people were just going in circles turning around going in other directions trying to get out of there said Marysville resident Jim scary who was in the peach tree mall in Linda when the levee crumbled. A series of Western storms that began feb. 12 killed at least 17 people flooded thousands of acres and Homes and set off hundreds of avalanches and mudslides in the West. An estimated 20 percent of Napa county s vineyards were damaged. The storms drove the Yuba River to a depth of 76.5 feet on tuesday Well above flood stage although it had dropped significantly when the levee broke. In the summertime it s just a  said cant. Joseph Saxon a spokesman at Balc. You can walk across  this is my third flood one in Arkan Sas the big flood in Yuba City in 1955 and now this said Connie Dickens 67, of Olivehurst. This is the third time i be had to Start Over. I m going to gel some place in the Hills. I be lost  Twenty five boats and eight helicopters searched for victims Friday. There was no estimate of the number of people rescued but California Highway patrol spokesman Bob Wells said he saw dozens plucked from cars stalled on California 70 in the flooded area. State flood control spokesman Bill Helms said the break in the levee came As a sur prise since the water level in the Yuba and nearby Feather Rivers had been dropping and the levees appeared solid. After the break evacuation warnings were broadcast in English Spanish and punjabi the last for a Large Colony of Farmers from India. Traffic backed up three Miles from Beals one of a dozen evacuation shelters. There were few injuries reported. Three people were hospitalized for exposure and Carol Wilson 23, of Linda gave birth to a son shortly after she reached the Balc ref Ugee Center. One major problem said Moore is what to do with the water after repairs to the levee Are completed. Temporary repairs will take a Day or two with permanent repairs expected to be Complete in five Days. There s no place to Drain it lie said. You build a in acc to keep water out. When it gets inside the system through a breathe levees keep it  it s just been disaster worry nervous Ness no sleeping stomach in  said Kathy Guynes who left her Home in Olive Hurst for a shelter in Suiter. Yuu never think that something like this will happen to you. You Sec it on to and you see it on the news but you just Don t Ever think it will happen. Not to  in Napa county officials reported More than $60 million in damage including 250 Homes destroyed and 2,500 damaged. Dep Uty county administrator Bob Sorsen said 20 percent of the vineyards were damaged. Crews and volunteers also struggled Fri Day to reinforce Joaquin River Delta levees like the one along the mock Lumen River that collapsed thursday morning flooding Thornton. More than 1,300 residents were evacuated tuesday by officials anticipating the danger. After the in ice near Thornton broke floodwaters rushed through houses and a Cannery causing about s5 million in dam age officials said. Elsewhere in the West cleanups were under Way following Waves of Pacific storms. Preliminary estimates put the damage in California Nevada and Utah near $100 million