Merced County residents vigilant as storms approach, work continues to prevent flood repeat
Meanwhile, crews have been focusing their efforts on Merced’s Bear Creek and Planada’s Miles Creek
By CHRISTIAN DE JESUS BETANCOURT
christian@cvlocaljournalism.org
Richard Berdak’s Main Street home was among the residences that were flooded last year when a torrent of water from heavy rains breached the banks of Bear Creek.
This year, the 67-year-old is preparing for another upcoming storm system by filling up his truck with sandbags for himself and his neighbors.
“The whole street flooded out there,” he said. “We’re in a major flood zone. All Bear Creek came down into our house. The whole backyard was sitting water. It was like the whole river came down to our house.”
Continue reading this and other Valley news at CVJC’s new website, The Merced FOCUS. It’s free.
Related stories previously reported by The Merced FOCUS/CVJC:
Planada residents look back, one year after a devastating flood. ‘I lost everything. I had to start from zero’
By CHRISTIAN DE JESUS BETANCOURT
christian@cvlocaljournalism.org
One year ago, longtime Planada resident Fabiola Cervantes watched as rising flood waters overtook her childhood home.
Working remotely on what she thought would be an average day, the 53-year-old Planada native initially noticed water pooling outside her residence. But as the rains continued, the situation rapidly deteriorated.
“I poked open the door and saw a stream of water coming around the house,” Cervantes told CVJC. “I had a bad feeling something had happened. My mother (who lived nearby) was outside looking at the rain coming down and wondering what all that water was doing in front of her house.
Continue reading this and other Valley news at CVJC’s new website, The Merced FOCUS. It’s free.
One year after Planada flood, Merced County approves plan for $20 million in state aid
By CHRISTIAN DE JESUS BETANCOURT and BRIANNA VACCARI
One year to the day after a historic flood devastated the small farmworker community of Planada, the Merced County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a spending plan for $20 million in state aid for residents who still are recovering.
The supervisors approved the spending plan Tuesday during their first meeting of 2024.
Continue reading this and other Valley news at CVJC’s new website, The Merced FOCUS. It’s free.
New civil lawsuit blames city, county and state for 2023 flood that devastated parts of Merced County
By CHRISTIAN DE JESUS BETANCOURT
A new civil lawsuit alleges several state and local government entities are responsible and financially liable for floods that devastated Merced and Planada in January.
The suit, filed Dec. 6 in Merced County Superior Court, names Merced County, City of Merced, Merced Irrigation District (MID), the State of California, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the California Fish and Game Commission (CFGC) as defendants.