Officials are preparing for extreme weather in the Central Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — The higher elevations of Central California could see a white Christmas. But first, our local foothill and mountain communities are preparing for possible flash flooding on Christmas Eve.

“We are preparing and encouraging our residents to prepare,” Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue said. His department checks equipment to ensure it is operational and that volunteer search and rescue personnel are on standby.

The district is also relying on technology.

“We have deployed backup sensors and surveillance trailers to monitor key areas. “So river sensors monitor the waterways and watch for flooding, and our monitoring trailers monitor these key areas like the Mattie Fye mudslide burn scar,” said Sheriff Pogue.

The city of Fresno is also preparing for potentially heavy rain.

“Our city crews have been working daily, clearing drains and making great efforts on the street sweeping program. They collected a lot of leaves and deployed additional crews to help with the large piles of leaves,” said Public Works Director Scott Mozier.

Mozier explains that there are a few dozen teams working throughout the city. And they will remain on alert throughout the holidays.

“The city has emergency crews available 24 hours a day to respond to emergencies seven days a week,” Mozier said.

Jay Smith of Rick’s Tire and Services said the shop sees an influx of people whenever the roads get wet.

“Usually it’s because the tread gets pretty thin and the tire goes around the corner the first time or slides a little bit, then they come right in,” Smith said.

Smith adds that it’s important to check your tires, wipers and other safety features to prevent problems as the winter season begins.

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