Oceano residents and visitors keep an eye on floodwaters amid evacuation order

John Lynch
·2 min read

Oceano residents and visitors took shelter or left their homes behind Tuesday afternoon as the county issued an evacuation order for areas around rain-swollen Arroyo Grande Creek.

A San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services news release informed residents in all areas south of the Arroyo Grande Creek Channel for one mile and west of Highway 1, as well as residents near Oceano Lagoon north and east of Strand Way and River Avenue, South of Pier Avenue to the ocean and east to the railroad tracks, along the tracks and back up to Pier Avenue to evacuate immediately.

Kelly Zamora, who lives near the Oceano Dunes, said she wasn’t evacuating because of her home’s position atop one of the hills overlooking the ocean.

“They need to be cautious, and there is a lot of water coming down into this lagoon area, and I think (the evacuation is) warranted,” Zamora said.

Zamora did pack a go-bag and supplies in her car, along with extra food for her dog.

Closer to the Oceano Lagoon, Matt Simms, 20, and Joe Cardenas, 20, said they came up to Oceano from Santa Maria unaware of the evacuation order.

Santa Maria residents Matt Simms, left, and Joe Cardenas visited the Oceano Lagoon hoping to fish on March 14, 2023, unaware that the area was under an evacuation order.
Santa Maria residents Matt Simms, left, and Joe Cardenas visited the Oceano Lagoon hoping to fish on March 14, 2023, unaware that the area was under an evacuation order.

Tired of being “cramped up” at home during the poor weather, Simms said he and Cardenas decided to visit the Oceano Lagoon to go fishing.

Simms and Cardenas came hoping to catch “anything that bites,” with the goal of returning their catches to the lagoon afterwards.

“Sometimes they say (the rain) brings the fish up, sometimes they say it’s hard as hell to catch anything, and I haven’t caught s--- for the past five trips,” Simms said.

Santa Maria residents Matt Simms, left, and Joe Cardenas visited the Oceano Lagoon hoping to fish on March 14, 2023, unaware that the area was under an evacuation order.
Santa Maria residents Matt Simms, left, and Joe Cardenas visited the Oceano Lagoon hoping to fish on March 14, 2023, unaware that the area was under an evacuation order.

Carl White, a resident living south of the Arroyo Grande Creek levee, said that despite multiple floods in the area over the past three months, his home has only been flooded once, during the January winter storm.

“We have evacuations almost every time (the levee) swells up,” White said. “The levee seems to be holding, so we’re alright right now.”

Some areas of SLO County have seen as much as 3 inches of rain, which is expected to continue into the night, with coastal areas expected to get 2 to 4 inches, and between 5 and 8 inches in the mountains, the National Weather Service forecast said.

Water pools on the north side of the Arroyo Grande Creek Levee during the storm in Oceano on March 14, 2023. The levee filled over the course of the storm but did not overtop.
Water pools on the north side of the Arroyo Grande Creek Levee during the storm in Oceano on March 14, 2023. The levee filled over the course of the storm but did not overtop.
Water pools on the north side of the Arroyo Grande Creek Levee during the storm in Oceano on March 14, 2023. The levee filled over the course of the storm but did not overtop.
Water pools on the north side of the Arroyo Grande Creek Levee during the storm in Oceano on March 14, 2023. The levee filled over the course of the storm but did not overtop.