Mass flooding, and some relief, as Russian River peaks in Guerneville

The Russian River surged Wednesday afternoon to its highest level in a decade, forcing hundreds of people in and around the Sonoma County town of Guerneville to flee to higher ground, often by boat.

[...] in the wake of several days of rain, there was not only sorrow over the extensive damage but some relief that the river wasn’t quite as swollen as originally expected.

Sheriff’s deputies and local firefighters were making the rounds to make sure everyone was safe, reporting no major injuries.

A small boat came in handy for moving some items from the flooded back rooms to the stairwell.

The family’s garage was under several feet of water, and a second-story storage area was threatened, but their home on the third floor was OK.

Before she left her apartment Sunday night, water was pouring into her living room.

Hernandez was one of many gathering on downtown street corners, in coffee shops and restaurants and in the homes of friends and relatives, trying to make the best of a bad but familiar situation.

At the r3 Hotel, a gay-friendly resort a block off the main strip, the bar was packed midday with displaced neighbors charging their mobile phones, grabbing a drink and figuring out their next move.

General manager Jeff Bridges said the place was the go-to spot during inclement weather.

Recalling the town’s historic flood in 1986, Boegen said everything had been underwater — right up to the “Cocktails” sign he pointed to above the hotel entrance.

A respite in the weather will allow river levels to begin falling, dropping below flood stage Thursday evening, according to the River Forecast Center.