Oakhurst officials keeping close eye on water levels as residents prepare for the next round of storms

OAKHURST, Calif. (KFSN) -- Some Madera County residents are preparing for the next series of storms; digging in for what's expected to be a wet next couple of days while keeping a close eye on waterways ready to rise.

"We certainly have a fairly large storm headed our way, so I don't know what that will bring but it will bring at least a few more inches of rain. Maybe with a 24 hour gap it will be able to drain off enough, but certainly something we'll be keeping an eye on," said Jay Varney, Madera County Sheriff.

With more rain on the way the potential of dangerous flooding remains high in some foothill communities. A small section of North Fork has been under mandatory evacuation orders for most of the week.

"We'll have deputies there 24/7, watching in that area and if the storm causes the outflow from Bass Lake to increase again well let the public know if there's any pre-evacuation," said Varney.

Large amounts of melted snow continue to make a huge impact on Bass Lake.

The constant rush of water has levels shooting up, while all the ground saturation is contributing to a number of down trees.

"They're breaking in places they normally don't, it's getting pretty sketchy out there," said Ernie Gomez, Tree Cutter.

Gomez has been a tree cutter in the area for the last 15 years and says

"With the drought and this wind it's doing stuff to the wood; it's cracking. And with homes like this you're limited to cranes and it's upping the cost."