Ah, California: state of glistening swimming pools, gushing water fountains, and drenched backyard slip-n-slides. Well, not so much, at least for the past five years. Since 2012, the golden state has been stuck in a seemingly never-ending drought that some experts have said is the worst the state has seen in 1,200 years. For the past five years, dwindling reservoirs, shrinking lakes, and dried-up farm fields have dotted the terrain.

The surge of water from this week’s storms is being closely monitored by California water officials from their hub in Sacramento.

Floodwaters from a storm-swollen Russian River finally started receding Thursday evening, allowing residents forced from their homes to begin the painstaking and messy task of cleaning up and repairing damages. “The water’s going down,” Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said. “Now comes the work.” Amid scattered showers, the Russian River finally began dropping below flood stage of 32 feet at 5 p.m. It is expected to continue dropping over coming days, draining low-lying areas around Guerneville and elsewhere that had been swamped with floodwaters.