Storms continue to hit Kern; Wofford Heights vulnerable to landslides | News

It’s the latest evacuation order as another powerful atmospheric river soaked the county on Tuesday and is expected to continue Wednesday, arriving overnight after a brief respite in back-to-back storms. California has been battered since the start of winter by a series of heavy rains, which have caused flooding and occasional mudslides.

The Board of Supervisors approved a proclamation on Tuesday for the severe weather event and recognized a state of emergency. This approval allows the county to qualify for the California Disaster Assistance Act, which earmarks money to reimburse counties that spend on emergency services.

“This event is not over. We need to take this very seriously,” Kern County Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Services Aaron Duncan said during the supervisors’ meeting.

Rainfall began just before dawn Tuesday morning, with some residents awaking to find standing water on their lawns and road closures still in effect.

Officials are worried the latest storm will be especially dangerous given that the ground is still saturated from the storm, and subsequent flooding, from days ago.

The National Weather Service in Hanford said it expects rain to stop in most parts of Kern County by Friday evening, after a lingering drizzle in the Bakersfield metropolitan area and the areas of McFarland, Pond and Lamont. The Bakersfield metropolitan area and nearby cities should see less than a fifth of an inch of rain, the weather station said Tuesday.

“This storm is producing a little less rainfall than the last atmospheric river event,” said Jim Bagnall, a meteorologist with the weather service in Hanford. “But there is a concern for flooding, due to what’s already been deposited into the ground, adding additional water, which is only causing more issues.”

In Kernville and other mountainous areas, however, the weather station said rain will continue to 5 a.m. Wednesday. A flood advisory will continue for all valley portions of Kern County until 5 p.m. and a flood watch is in effect until Wednesday morning.

Snow is dropping at elevations of 8,000 feet and above, Bagnall said, adding that there aren’t “too many elevations that high down in Kern County.”

The weather service also reported high winds that will reach up to 40 mph, which can threaten to topple trees and snap utility lines. A wind advisory for the entire San Joaquin Valley will remain in effect until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The Kern County Fire Department said it spent the sunny day Monday preparing for the coming storm. At the Board of Supervisors’ morning meeting on Tuesday, Duncan said the storms from the past few months have brought more water than “we’ve seen in a long time.”

“At one point in time, the Kern River was flowing 45,000 cubic feet per second,” Duncan said, adding that one cubic foot of water weighs about 63 pounds. “That’s about 1,400 tons per second flowing through the Kern River, something we haven’t seen since 1966.”

Duncan said authorities spent the past couple of days clearing roads, staging sandbags and assessing the damage in McFarland, Pond and some parts of Kernville. According to Duncan, more than 350 homes have been assessed for damages, and according to Kern Public Works, 13 previously closed major roads countywide were reopened.

“Most importantly, there have been no reported injuries anywhere in the county,” Duncan said.

That said, evacuation orders have not be lifted. Duncan advised against anyone trying to return to their homes in evacuated areas. The two current shelters at 11th Avenue Community Center in Delano and Kern Valley High School in Lake Isabella will stay open through at least through Wednesday.

“I know people are frightened and anxious,” said District 4 Supervisor David Couch. “If they could see you all (Kern County authorities) and the quality of people working on this for them, they would be heartened that there’s some great professionals helping them out.”