Why these Californians fear catastrophic floods
CUTLER, Calif. — Jayden Martinez walked across the cracked mud of the canal that flooded his family’s home last month, his Pokemon-themed Crocs crunching on pieces of concrete and rocks. Standing on the bank, the 9-year-old looked at the channel, partially clogged with trash, and recounted how the surging water broke through, turning his street into a river and leaving his family and neighbors 10 minutes to grab what they could and get out.
Jayden, his mother, Juanita Martinez, and dozens of other residents in this central California farming town are trying to rebound from a flood brought on by relentless rains, a shock after enduring years of extreme drought. Now, as wet mattresses and furniture still dry out in front yards, some residents who live along the canal, including Martinez, had no idea that immense amounts of water might impact their lives again.
Jayden, his mother, Juanita Martinez, and dozens of other residents in this central California farming town are trying to rebound from a flood brought on by relentless rains, a shock after enduring years of extreme drought. Now, as wet mattresses and furniture still dry out in front yards, some residents who live along the canal, including Martinez, had no idea that immense amounts of water might impact their lives again.
In the coming weeks and months, Cutler, located about three hours north of Los Angeles in Tulare County, and other towns in the San Joaquin Valley are facing the prospect of catastrophic flooding from what could be the largest amount of snowmelt in state history — and much of the area’s flood infrastructure is in dire need of repair, according to residents.
After a parade of atmospheric rivers deluged the state this winter, Cutler’s aging Sand Creek breached in several places, turning streets into rivers and damaging about 130 homes. While the flooding was a surprise, it was not unprecedented or unpredictable for the valley floor, experts said. The canal, as well as other parts of the area’s flood and irrigation management systems, was already eroding and poorly managed largely because of the state’s decades-long extreme drought, experts and residents said.
“We haven’t seen anyone coming here,” Martinez said, gesturing toward the haphazardly patched canal. “We lost a lot of memories, stuff we were going to pass on to our children. What has to happen? Do people have to die for something to be done about it?”
The dilapidated infrastructure may now be put to a test unlike any in decades: As the days warm, the melting snow will send billions of gallons of water coursing through San Joaquin Valley’s already saturated waterways and levees. Parts of the region are already at risk, not just from snowmelt but also full reservoirs; officials declared a flood warning this week for Tulare and two surrounding counties because of dam releases.
Still, Martinez and other residents say that no one seems to be taking ownership of the problematic infrastructure, with different agencies lobbing blame and responsibility at one another and not responding to flood victims. This kind of finger-pointing has been playing out across other San Joaquin Valley towns as politicians and big agricultural companies clash over where to put floodwater.
Tulare County has long been the epicenter of California’s compounding water crises. For decades, there was barely enough to survive. Now, there is so much, people’s livelihoods are threatened.
The area does not have enough surface water to support its massive agriculture output, which has consequently contaminated the water throughout the area with nitrates. Martinez, who grew up in Cutler, can’t remember the last time she drank from a faucet. Containers of bottled water are stacked up everywhere, a cost that experts say underscores the area’s stark environmental inequities.
Read more from Brianna Sacks from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/24/california-flooding-snow-melt/.