With rain expected through the late part of next week, the City of Lathrop is taking steps to ensure that residents know what to do if or when localized flooding becomes an issue.
As the first part of the warm storm battered Northern California – forcing the snow level to climb and sowing anxieties about localized and more extensive flooding – on Friday the city announced that residents were able to take up to 10 sandbags from the self-serve station that has been set-up in the Manuel Valverde Park parking lot on 5th Street.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, preparing for floods means:
*Having a plan in place to either evacuate, move to higher ground or a higher floor, or stay in place depending on the type of flooding that may occur.
*Staying off bridges over fast-moving water – which can be compromised and potentially washed away.
*Knowing not to attempt to walk, swim, or drive through flooded areas. Because floodwater usually has unpredictable currents and submerged obstacles that can be seen that can pose serious risks.
According to federal authorities, water that is only six-inches deep can move with enough force to knock down an adult and water that is only one-foot deep can pick up and physically move a car – something that motorists along Highway 99 learned firsthand back in December when a broken levee resulted in water that rushed across the highway and took vehicles with it.
One woman died in the floodwaters back in December.
In addition to standard preparation, residents are being encouraged by authorities to pay attention to their surroundings during the storm and never attempt to drive through standing water – even if they think that they can make it through safely.
And in addition to not driving through standing water, residents are also encouraged to heed all road signs – especially if there’s a closure. Earlier this year after atmospheric rivers pounded California and water eroded the support beneath Kasson Road in South Manteca near the San Joaquin River, two drivers crashed into the hole that remained after driving around the road closures along the rural route.
Residents that are searching for updated news about potential flooding and other relevant city information are encouraged to download the Lathrop Cares app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for Android Devices.
Those living in River Islands that experience power outages or need to report downed power lines are encouraged to contact the Lathrop Irrigation District at 209.888.4799 or after hours at 209.561.1428, or they can visit the agency’s website at www.lathropirrigation.com. Customers that have PG&E can find out about outages or other issues by visiting pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outages/map.
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544
