Um, cut the guy some slack. That was HWY 101 near Sunset. That would be hard for anyone to see coming. It's not like they post low water crossings on the 101. And at night, 1/4" of standing water reflects light just like 2'. You can't tell how deep it is until you get stuck.
And to be exact, they've already gotten 3 years worth of annual rainfall in 1.75 months of 2005.