550 homes and businesses projected to flood along Russian River near Guerneville

A bit of sunshine Monday morning was little comfort to many living along Sonoma County’s Russian River, where water levels were expected to continue swelling into the afternoon despite a letup in the rain. Several homes and businesses in the Guerneville area took in water overnight, and 550 were expected to flood by the time the river was due to crest at 2 p.m. Monday, according to county officials. Evacuations were under way in many of the low-lowing, forested communities along Highway 116, while other waterfront residents and business owners stayed put, closely monitoring water levels on their properties. “I think we’re going to be OK,” said Bart Deamer, a San Francisco resident who had driven to his vacation home on Redwood Drive, finding his backyard deck and garden submerged in the river but not his home. While the storm that blew through California over the weekend did not bring catastrophic damage, the Russian River area was an easy target. Rain often swells the waterway, causing flooding in the semi-rural area west of Santa Rosa, known for forested towns as well as vineyards and small resorts.