Northern California cleans up as storms move south

Residents in California's wine country began cleaning up yesterday as flooded rivers receded and officials reopened roads after two powerful storms caused an estimated tens of millions of dollars in damage.

Days of heavy storms over the weekend swelled rivers and caused flooding, mudslides and evacuations across Northern California including the heart of the state's famed wine region in Napa Valley and Sonoma County.

But Terry Hall, a spokesman for trade group Napa Valley Vintners, said the heavy rains and floods would not hurt winemakers because vines are dormant this time of the year and growers typically plant a cover crop to hold the soil during the off-season.

He noted that it was not uncommon for floods to cover vineyards during the rainy season.