Kings County facing $1 billion in flood damages. Officials are hopeful for federal funding
.JPG "Two ducks walk on southbound 6th Avenue as it disappears beneath the widespread flooding seen about 1 mile south of Quebec Avenue south of the City of Corcoran where flooding is re-creating the old Tulare Lake. Photographed Thursday, April 6, 2023 south of Corcoran, California.")
The water that has started to resurrect Tulare Lake will ruin more than 41% of Kings County’s $2.43 billion crop value – plus tally another $1 billion in additional damages – as officials scramble to qualify for federal assistance.
The county turned in its flooding damage estimates to the governor’s office on March 28, but just missed the deadline to be included in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request that day for federal funding.
“Our damages that our ag commissioner and the county have put together and assessed is already nearly $1 billion in damages,” said Kings County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard Valle, whose 965-square-mile district includes Home Garden, Corcoran, Avenal and Kettleman City.
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Biden signed an emergency declaration on April 3 that made federal funding immediately available for seven counties, including neighboring Tulare and Kern counties.
“It didn’t include us,” Valle said on Tuesday, April 4. “Again, because we got our loss damages in late to the state.”
Valle said he has been in talks with the governor’s office even as recently as April 3.
“I’m told that once the state could reaffirm our loss damages then it should not be an issue for us, Kings County, to get added to that declaration,” said Valle.
The economic impact to agriculture is huge. In 2021, crops were valued at $2.3 billion. Farmers drained Tulare Lake more than 100 years ago and the land is used for crops like cotton, pistachios and tomatoes.
Declaring an emergency
The county declared an emergency on March 10 and activated its Emergency Operations Center on March 21. The center is monitoring the potential for further flood impacts caused by winter storms and expected runoff as snow in the Sierra Mountains melts.
About 30 square miles of farmland has been inundated by the old Tulare Lake but could expand in the coming months.
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Kings County Sheriff Dave Robinson said people have shown up with boats and kayaks thinking it is now a recreational waterway for the public.
He has a warning for them: Stay out!
“The lake bottom is private farmland that is flooding. Over the course of the next few months, we will be dealing with this,” said Robinson during a March press conference.”
Robinson expects the potential for flooding to continue until September.
“The water in the lake bottom will be there for much, much longer but it still won’t make it a public lake bottom for everyone to go recreate in,” he said.
Officials are encouraging residents near waterways (canals, creeks, rivers) to prepare for potential flooding.
Road closures, said Robinson, should be obeyed.
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No official evacuation orders yet
Robinson made it clear that Kings County has not issued any official evacuation orders yet, but the situation is being monitored on a daily basis.
“Our highest concern is the City of Corcoran, and we are working closely with the Corcoran police department and the city of Corcoran leaders to evaluate that on a minute-by-minute basis,” Robinson said.
Corcoran, located at the edge of the former Tulare Lake Basin, is protected by a levee along the southern and western edges.
According to Robinson, the elevation of the lake bottom is about 167 feet above sea level at its lowest point. The levee protecting Corcoran is 188 feet.
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“We have to see a lot of water to get to the top of that levee,” Robinson said, adding that there have been some discussions with the state to try to raise the levee another three feet as a precaution.
Corcoran Police Department Deputy Chief Gary Cramer expects the levee to hold, although other levees throughout the county have been breached by either water flowing in or by man.
Two state prisons in Corcoran house about 8,000 inmates. Prison employees who must drive to work each day are finding access can be difficult given that several roadways have been blocked.
The city maintains an updated map with all the road closures.
The prisons have contingency plans should it need to evacuate its prison population.
“We are hoping to avoid that at all costs. Moving inmates is expensive, it’s challenging and it’s dangerous,” Robinson said. “We are all worried about all residents down there, including inmates.”
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A trickle down effect
Valle, the only Latino supervisor in a county that is 56% Latino, is worried about the impact flooding will have on jobs and the economy.
“Those multipliers put our damages at an estimated $2 billion to Kings County due to floodwaters and the threat of floodwaters,” said Valle.
Valle has asked Newsom to come down to see the damage, but added that if Newsom helps Kings County with state funding, “then there’s no need for him to come down just for the sake of coming down.”
“We very much appreciate it and be grateful and thankful for the governor assisting us with the funding to protect the city and that’s good enough for me,” Valle said.
The Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Nancy Ward, visited the county and the Emergency Operations Center on April 6 to discuss how the state can better support the flooding response in the county.
Water doesn’t have to flood people’s homes to have an impact, said Valle. The harm to crops will mean “a lot of people out of work,” he said.
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“And we know that, just like in the drought 10 years ago, that trickle down will be the same with the flood; meaning farmworkers are out of work when farmers can’t plant,” said Valle.
The impact goes beyond the workers in the field. Welders, truckers and others are also affected, he said. So will the restaurants and small businesses that rely on those workers, said Valle.
“So that’s the scary part,” said Valle. “We know this flood is already going to cause a major crisis to our county, financially.”.
Local emergency continues
On April 4 the county issued its third order in response to the local emergency due to flooding.
All persons are prohibited from being on or in the waters of the Kings River, Tule River, and the Cross Creek Canal and any other waterbodies or waterways within Kings County.
The prohibition includes boating with motorized or non-motorized boats, use of personal watercraft, sailing, water skiing, paddleboarding, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, floating, wading, and swimming.
People are also prohibited from being on levees and in parks that abut the Kings River, Tule River, and the Cross Creek Canal and any other waterbodies or waterways.
Robinson said he feels for the farmers and ranchers.
“We are going to have a million-acre feet of water covering up an area that feeds the world. And that million-acre feet of water is not going to go away anytime soon,” Robinson said. “It’s going to have huge impacts across the world.”
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This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
