Weekend of rainfall presses Tulare, Madera sheriff’s deputies into rescue operations
A swift-water team from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department rescued a driver whose pickup truck was swept off a flooded road into a culvert, trapping him in his vehicle for a short time on Sunday morning.
It was the latest in a series of incidents during this weekend’s storms in which deputies in Madera and Tulare counties were called in to rescue people who found themselves trapped by snow or flooding.
Tulare County sheriff’s spokesperson Ashley Ritchie reported that Sunday’s rescue happened shortly before 11:30 a.m. along Road 108 north of Avenue 364, near the Sequoia Field airport north of Visalia. The driver of a pickup tried to cross the flooded roadway but the high water washed the vehicle into a roadside ditch filled with fast-flowing water.
The driver was able to call 911 for help, and the dive team quickly got him out of the vehicle to safety.
On Saturday, several people required rescue by Madera County Sheriff’s Office search teams after they got stuck in snow on Miami Mountain Road in the Oakhurst-Sugar Pine area. Deputies said the people were trying to make their way on foot to provide supplies for a snowed-in family member in the mountains in the eastern part of the county.
A day earlier, the Madera County sheriff’s dive team was called to rescue a man who tried to drive through a portion of a flooded mountain roadway and became stranded in his pickup truck. “Thankfully the man was safely brought to shore,” the agency reported on its social media platforms.
Officials said the incidents illustrate the dangers that flooded roads, highways and bridges pose to drivers.
Motorists are warned to stay away from flooded areas when possible and not to walk, swim or drive through moving water. “Even a few inches of water can hide currents that can sweep you away,” Madera County officials posted on social media, “and the water level can rise before you finish crossing.”
Deputies added that according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a foot of flood water can float vehicles and push them off a roadway.
This story was originally published March 12, 2023 at 3:02 PM.
