Storm could wreak havoc on areas burned by the Creek Fire. Here are the concerns
Emergency responders are bracing for what the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office calls “a potential weather-made disaster” this weekend as a major winter storm sweeps toward the region and areas scorched by wildfires over the past year.
The Creek Fire, which burned nearly 380,000 acres in the mountains of eastern Fresno and Madera counties in the fall of 2020, created a “burn scar” in the Sierra Nevada that may be subject to mudslides and flooding from the storm that is expected to drench the Valley and mountains.
A cold front is forecast to bring moderate to heavy rainfall starting Sunday night and into Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
“We will see heavy rain below 8,000 feet, gusty winds along the west side of the (San Joaquin Valley) and heavy snow above 8,000 feet,” NWS forecasters said in a weather statement Saturday. “(It) is looking like early Monday morning we will be taking on the brunt of the storm across the Fresno metro area.
“We are concerned that we may see mud and debris flows associated with wildfires across the Sierra,” forecasters added. “We are also concerned about street flooding … in poor drainage areas” on the Valley floor.
The winter storm warning issued by the Weather Service for Sunday afternoon through Monday night indicates that in the Shaver Lake and other areas affected by the Creek Fire, from four to six inches of rain is forecast. From two to four feet of snow is expected in areas above 8,000 feet in elevation, as well as winds gusting to 60 mph.
“We are monitoring incoming storms which could cause natural disasters,” said Tony Botti, a spokesman for the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Residents can check their risk area
The Sheriff’s Office has posted an interactive map with zones of “extreme risk” and “high risk” for flooding and slides in the areas near Big Creek, Huntington Lake and Shaver Lake – areas that were devastated by the Creek Fire. Residents can type their address into the search field on the map to see the risk level assigned to their neighborhood.
“The weather event that we’re about to see … is going to be pretty significant, probably the most significant that the (Creek Fire) burn area has seen since the end of the fire,” said Dan Lynch, who oversees Fresno County’s Office of Emergency Services.
Even though the fire occurred a year ago, “that land mass that was impacted by that fire is still unstable because it doesn’t have enough roots and plants to be able to stay steady, so it could move,” Lynch added.
A large amount of rain in a short amount of time in the mountain areas creates the potential for flash floods. “That water has to go somewhere, and it’s going to come down the roads, it’s going to come down some of those built-in drainage areas that are going to get plugged up” by debris washing down from the burned areas, Lynch said.
Representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, Cal Fire, utility companies, the county Public Works department and the U.S. Forest Service have been meeting to prepare to respond to whatever happens as a result of the storm.
Fresno County’s Public Works and Planning departments have set up stations at county yards in Shaver Lake, Auberry and north Fresno where residents of unincorporated areas can pick up sandbags to prevent flooding of their homes.
While the heaviest rain is expected in the mountains, the Valley floor could also see a drenching. The NWS forecast as of Saturday afternoon calls for 1.5 to two inches of rainfall in Fresno and Madera from Sunday through Monday. From one to 1.5 inches are anticipated in Hanford, Visalia and Porterville.
In areas currently being affected by the KNP Complex fire in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks in eastern Fresno and Tulare counties, from two to three inches of rain are anticipated.
