In the heart of California, some rural communities are facing the prospect of being marooned or flooded out by rising water.
LEMOORE, Calif. — Ron Caetano is packed and ready to go. His family photos and valuables are in the trailer and he’s put food in carry totes. He moved the rabbits and chickens and their automatic feeders to higher ground.
Water managers are concerned that the spring snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada will be so massive that the north fork of the Kings River won’t be able to contain it and carry it toward the Pacific Ocean. Much of the water also is being channeled into the river’s south fork, which winds through the area near the small city of Lemoore to fill a vast basin.
“Once we're at capacity, now you're putting a lot of stress on those conveyance channels,” Merritt said. “It’s a very fast moving stream and it's very deep right now.” Rising temperatures this week have many residents on edge. Park officials announced plans to temporarily close part of Yosemite National Park starting Friday due to the threat of flooding. Reservations for campgrounds and lodging in eastern Yosemite Valley will automatically be canceled and refunded.
It isn’t the first time Kings County, home to 150,000 people in the fertile San Joaquin Valley, has faced these challenges.
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