New evacuation order for area west of Porterville as Tulare sheriff issues a warning
.jpeg "Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies talk to residents in an evacuation zone west of Porterville on Wednesday evening, March 15.")
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux on Wednesday night issued a new evacuation order for the Porterville area as floodwaters continued to rise in Tulare County.
The area under the order is west of Porterville on Olive Avenue (Avenue 52), to Avenue 144 and the Friant-Kern Canal to the Tule River and Westwood Street.
Deputies were going door-to-door in the area telling residents of the need to get out. About 100 people are impacted.
The sheriff urged drivers to avoid barricaded or closed roads and not to drive through standing water, stressing that it was “incredibly important to abide by all orders, warnings, and closures.”
Wednesday’s order came less than 24 hours after an evacuation east of Porterville. Just after midnight Wednesday, deputies went door-to-door clearing structures on the Tule River from Schafer Dam at Lake Success to the east side of Road 284.
The rain-soaked San Joaquin Valley is expected to get a respite from heavy rainfall through Saturday, which may help flood-ravaged regions get a short breather, but forecasters say there is a possibility of more heavy rainfall Wednesday.