SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on the storms in California (all times local):
2:10 p.m.
San Jose resident Gloria Najar says it felt like an “apocalypse” when she returned home a day after being evacuated in a flood.
The 57-year old - one of thousands of people ordered to evacuate on Tuesday - said she counts herself among the lucky,
Almost everything stored in her garage had been destroyed, but her second-floor condominium was dry.
As she sorted through her water-logged garage, Najar said she was thinking of the homes in her neighborhood that were flooded “all the way to the roof.”
She said she was getting rid of things she had had forever and trying to tell herself that nothing mattered because she still had her home.
San Jose city officials say about two-thirds of the 14,000 residents who were evacuated are being allowed to go home.
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10:45 a.m.
San Jose city workers are pumping flood water from the hardest hit areas to allow for inspections and damage assessments.
San Jose city officials say more than 10,000 of the 14,000 residents evacuated two days ago because of floods are being allowed to go home.
About 3,800 people remain under the mandatory evacuation order prompted by a creek that overflowed following heavy rains and inundated neighborhoods with waist high water.
Crews will start removing debris Friday for some of the areas that are not under mandatory evacuation.
The city is also opening an assistance center Saturday at the Shirakawa Community Center. This will be a multi-agency, one-stop center for residents and businesses who have been flooded to obtain help.
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8:55 a.m.
San Jose city officials say more than 10,000 of the 14,000 residents evacuated two days ago because of floods are being allowed to go home.
About 3,800 people remain under the mandatory evacuation order prompted by a creek that overflowed following heavy rains and inundated neighborhoods with waist high water.
City spokesman David Vossbrink says the city is now focused on cleanup efforts and getting people back into their homes.
Residents returned home Thursday to sort through waterlogged furniture, toys and clothing after the creek water carrying engine fuel and sewage swamped their homes.
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7:05 a.m.
California authorities are expected to head to flooded ranches in San Jose to rescue 28 horses that have been standing in water for two days.
KNTV reports (https://bit.ly/2l3wvfi ) the horses have been trapped since Tuesday, when flooding prompted the evacuation of 14,000 San Jose residents.
Police and animal control crews have been waiting for flood waters to recede before going in to get the horses.
Some horse owners asked for animal control officers to airlift the horses out with helicopters. But officials said that would have required sedating the horses. Doing so could have posed a health risk to the horses because they are probably suffering from hypothermia.
Employees at the San Jose Animal Shelter say the number of dogs they are receiving daily has doubled to 40 since the evacuation.
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6:20 a.m.
California officials have closed two evacuation centers set up for residents of San Jose forced to leave their homes two days ago because of floods.
The centers were places where evacuated people could get food and water and rest. Two overnight shelters remain open and people there were trying to find out if they would be allowed to go home.
Officials say 14,000 were evacuated. No details were immediately provided by authorities on how many people would be allowed to return home Thursday.
Water levels were receding from the Coyote Creek that overflowed and flooded parts of the city.
The National Weather Service forecasts a storm forming for Saturday in the late afternoon or early evening that could affect the area again.
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1:35 a.m.
Some residents returned home to sort through waterlogged furniture, toys and clothing after being abruptly evacuated when a surging creek carrying engine fuel and sewage water inundated thousands of homes in San Jose.
With water levels from Coyote Creek receding late Wednesday, officials said some of the 14,000 evacuated residents would be allowed to return home, although an evacuation order remained for parts of the city. Authorities warned residents to be careful about hygiene and handling food that may have come into contact with flood water.
Residents in knee-high rubber boots waddled through inundated streets to get to their homes, passing by cars submerged in muddy water.
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This story corrects the last name of the San Jose city spokesman to Vossbrink, not Vossbrook.
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