SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the rain starts falling, snowmelt begins and the rivers start picking up pace, county officials say area levees are a priority.
"In past flood events the San Joaquin has been a concern," said San Joaquin County Public Works Director Fritz Buchman. "Especially later in the year when you’ve got warm storms on a whole lot of snow, and that is a big powerful river with a lot of flow."
In Monterey County, the levee breach near the town of Pajaro forced evacuations and left entire neighborhoods underwater. Public works crews in San Joaquin County are working around the clock to prepare.
"The crews that know the county very well, and where some of our sensitive areas are, they’re paying extra attention to those areas. And whether it’s downed trees or flooded roadways, plugged inlets that are causing drainage problems, they are on the lookout for all of those kind of things," said Buchman.
The major priority for crews is to make sure levees don't breach when the rain starts to fall.
"We have been preparing for this for quite some time. We're taking proactive measures to prepare for the any potential impacts that these rains, and I think these stronger winds that are going to be with this next storm. Everything from clearing out storm drains to pre-positioning resources where they need to be and monitoring for potential flooding," said Brenda Bongiorno, spokesperson for Sacramento County.
The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services recommends preparing an emergency kit with an extra change of clothes, hygiene products, prescriptions and a cellphone charger.
"That's always a good plan to have is just getting those things in order so that you aren't scrambling at the last second," said Bongiorno.
Officials also advised people to not drive around road closure barricades.
"There is a reason that they're there... if you see water 'Turn Around, Don't Drown.' I know that that's a simple phrase, but we're trying to make sure that everyone stays safe," said Bongiorno.
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