Flooding, water problems will be a ‘battle’ in Fresno County until summer, sheriff says
Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni says officials are preparing for the potential to be dealing with heavy river flows and possible flooding into summer, and residents should, also.
The San Joaquin Valley has seen the kind of rainfall after a dozen atmospheric rivers that hasn’t been seen in the region in nearly four decades.
Kings and Tulare counties have been hit particularly hard and many local leaders fear the potential pooling of Tulare Lake.
Zanoni said Fresno has been fortunate because no one in the county lost their life from heavy water flows or flooding.
And, though the sun was shining Friday, residents should be aware that the threat is not over, he said.
As the weather warms, the heavy snowpack in the Sierra will melt and make its way down to the Valley.
That means the water will be too dangerous for fishing, swimming or any other recreation until at least July and maybe longer, he said. Recreation near rivers has been prohibited for about two weeks and will stay that way until further notice, he said.
“Please anticipate this to be long-term,” he said. “Please be patient. When the snow melts, that water has to go somewhere.”
He pointed to Pine Flat Dam, which has about 800,000 acre-feet of water this week. It has room for 1 million acre-feet. Dam operators will continue to let water out through the spillway. Zanoni said that means by the time the snow melts, the dam will let enough water out to fill it three times over.
Make an evacuation plan now
Residents who live in areas known for flooding should begin making plans for scenarios where they must leave in a hurry, according to Terri Mejorado, emergency services manager for the county.
She said parents should have a plan for a scenario if the order to leave comes when children are at school or when they need to leave in the middle of the night, for example.
“We just want to really reiterate: What is the flood plan for your personal home?” she said.
The county was also preparing sandbags and what they call “super sacks,” which hold about 2,000 pounds of rocks, to prepare for the fight against flooding.
Brandon Purcell said officials are also trying to prepare for the San Joaquin River water from Friant Dam, which eventually will make its way to Mendota and Firebaugh.
“It’s really going to be an ongoing battle,” he said.
