Merced issues evacuation warnings for areas already weary, wary after January storms
Heavy rain forced the city of Merced to issue many evacuation warnings, including areas that previously were impacted by devastating January storms.
A flood watch remained in effect for Merced through Sunday morning as the atmospheric river is moving through the area, the National Weather Service reported.
The rain gauge at Merced Regional Airport record 1.04 inches in the 48 hours ending at noon Saturday.
The city of Merced issued a second round of evacuation warnings due to possible flooding from the atmospheric river making its way across California.
People are urged to be prepared to leave in anticipation of Bear Creek reaching flood levels.
On Friday morning the city put warnings in place for Area 13, which includes an area south of Olive avenue to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks and from R Street to La Cresenta Avenue. More than two dozen streets are impacted.
The city had already issued warnings for areas 1A, 1B and Area 2.
Maps of the affected areas are available on the city’s website.
The Merced County Sheriff’s Office issued its own evacuation warnings on Friday, for the Newman and Stevinson areas, near George Hatfield State Park, up to the Stanislaus County line.
The warnings came as increased flows are being seen in the Merced and San Joaquin rivers, according to a release from the county.
While evacuations are not mandatory, the sheriff is asking residents to plan ahead by gathering important documents and medication, device chargers and animals.
Two evacuation shelters are open now, one at the Merced County Fairgrounds at 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. (animals are welcome) and a second at the Atwater Community Center.
Additional locations will be added as needed.
The city of Merced listed areas for residents to be ready to evacuate in anticipation of potential flooding from Bear Creek, broken down by zones:
AREA 1A
▪ 2500 North Highway 59
▪ West North Bear Creek Drive from Highway 59 to North Bear Creek Drive
▪ Shadow Brook Drive from West North Bear Creek Drive to Crystal Springs Avenue
▪ Driftwood Drive from West North Bear Creek to Shadow Brook drives
AREA 1B
▪ La Mirada Drive from Highway 59 to West North Bear Creek Drive
▪ Willowbrook Avenue
▪ Storybrook Avenue from Brookside to Willowbrook drives
▪ La Cresenta Avenue from Willowbrook \to La Mirada drives
▪ Willowbrook Drive
▪ La Palma Avenue
▪ Corona Court
▪ Portola Way
▪ Madrid Avenue
▪ Marietta Avenue Dry Creek Court
▪ Creekside Drive
▪ Silver Creek Court
▪ Springfield Court
▪ Brookside Drive
AREA 2
▪ Cooper Avenue from Ashby Road to Highway 59
Sandbags provided by city
The city said sandbags are available from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the city of Merced Purchasing Building, 2525 O St.
Availability will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Le Grand, Planada still on alert
The Merced County Sheriff’s Office said it does not expect the flood control dams at Owens and Mariposa Creek to reach maximum capacity this weekend. According to an update from the Army Corps of Engineers, the rivers shouldn’t reach top levels until Tuesday.
“While this is good news, we are not out of the woods yet. We still highly recommend that the communities of Le Grand and Planada stay prepared for potential flooding,” the sheriff’s office said. An evacuation warning was issued for those areas on Thursday.
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This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 8:01 PM.
