The levee breach that left an entire California town underwater this weekend is putting a spotlight on how the state’s vital flood control infrastructure is being weakened by age, drought, climate change, rodents and neglect — leaving scores of communities at risk. On Friday night, the swollen Pajaro River burst through the worn-down levee, flooding the entire town of Pajaro and sending its roughly 3,000 residents into what officials are now estimating to be a multi-month-long exile. A second breach was reported on Monday…. Experts say similar weaknesses plague levee systems across California and the nation. As climate change threatens to intensify and exacerbate extreme weather events — such as flooding and even drought — the unease and desperation of residents and emergency responders in communities near these crumbling systems is growing.

Related articles: 

• Los Angeles Times: Before epic flood, officials knew Pajaro levee could fail 
• San Francisco Standard: Devastating Images of Monterey County After the Pajaro River Levee Break
• Insurance Journal: Storm Breached California River’s Levee, Hundreds Evacuated
• Bay Area News Group: Flood fighters race to plug 360-foot levee breach along Pajaro River as next storm roars closer