Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Towns in California’s Central Valley face flood crisis, forcing thousands to flee
Thousands of people in the rural San Joaquin Valley have been forced to leave their homes as rivers and creeks have swelled from recent storms, putting neighborhoods and farms under water — and more wet weather looms. The flooding was most severe in Tulare County, where over the weekend scenes played out of residents being plucked from high water by rescuers in boats, dairy workers rustling cattle out of swampy fields, and backhoes pouring dirt to repair storm-damaged levees…. The widespread flooding comes as severe storms continue to pound the region while huge volumes of water from California’s highest peaks pour out of the nearby Sierra Nevada. The river channels and extensive berms and levees designed to corral floodwaters have been overwhelmed.
Related articles:
- Los Angeles Times: California town engulfed in floodwater. But residents fear what will happen if they flee
- ABC 30 – Fresno: Concern over San Joaquin River water level in Firebaugh
- Stockton Record: San Joaquin River flood possible as new storm hits Stockton area
- Santa Cruz Sentinel: Editorial - Pajaro evacuations: When and why
- Los Angeles Times: Heavy rain to hit Southern California; thousands flee flooding in Central Valley
- SF Gate: California state parks in Big Sur will require months of repair after storms
- Press Democrat: North Bay’s next storm expected to bring more widespread rain, winds, downed trees
- San Francisco Chronicle: Devastating floods are hard to forecast. Here’s why