FORESTVILLE, California -- Giant redwood trees toppled and people fled resort communities in the hills north of San Francisco as seven days of rain caused the region's worst flooding in nearly a decade.


Thousands of people were evacuated and power was knocked out to tens of thousands of homes as the water washed over sections of California's wine country.


A garbage collector was killed Monday in Monterey County when a tree toppled onto his truck, crushing the cab.


"This has the potential to be a full-blown natural disaster,'' said meteorologist Steve Newman.


Rainfall slowed over much of the northern half of the state as the storm moved toward Southern California, where flooding last week caused millions of dollars worth of damage. However, more storms were on the way off the Pacific, and forecasters said they saw no real break in the rain all week.


Southwestern Oregon was pounded Monday with more than 13 centimeters of rain in some remote mountain regions and a highway worker was killed shortly before noon when a tree fell on the pickup truck he was driving toward the Mount Ashland ski resort, Oregon State Police said.


In California, it was the worst flooding in the hilly, wooded region since the Valentine's Day flood of 1986, which followed nine days of rain.


Governor Pete Wilson declared a state of emergency for Sonoma, Lake and Tehama, making them eligible for financial aid. Members of the California National Guard were deployed to aid with evacuations and rescue efforts.


Strong wind toppled trees all over the area, and gusts closed two of San Francisco International Airport's four runways. Delays of up to two hours were reported on domestic flights and many international flights were canceled.