Reedley RV park evacuated as Kings River rises

REEDLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Rising rivers are threatening homes and trailers across the Valley. At Lindy's Landing in Reedley, the Kings River crept close to shore and prompted mandatory evacuations.

The Kings River is sitting four feet higher Monday night than the day before. It has turned a boat dock into a muddy lake. And if it makes it up the incline, it'll quickly flood the parking lot.

At Lindy's Landing, families pay more for the river view. And as the Kings River begins to crest, the cost of living by the river also rises.

Andrew Mullins is risking it all.

"I thought we were far enough down the river," he said. "And with the drought the way it was, we didn't think it would come down this far and hit us."

Like many others, he planned to weather this storm by buying tarps and fixing leaks. On Monday, the owner of the campgrounds ordered everyone to move to higher ground, But for Mullins, it wasn't an option.

"I had some problems with the trailer structure," he said. "So, I'm a little concerned about trying to move it, and I knew I couldn't get the truck started and out in time."

The owner of Lindy's Landing, Gary Lang, has been watching the river all week.

"We marked the spots and within 30 minutes," he said. "It's coming up where I marked, and I decided then we needed to move people from the lower level."

As water nudged closer to the swollen riverbanks, families scrambled to move their belongings. Lang found himself helping many of the elderly pack.

"They won't have full hook-ups, electricity or nothing," he said. "But at least they won't be flooded like in years past."

Mullins says he's one of the few immobilized. He's leaving for Selma, but all of his possessions are left behind.

"I just told everybody, 'Let's just pack everything into the trailer and hope it doesn't overflow,'" Mullins said.

Mullins locked everything down before he left and hopes it's there when he comes back.

The owners of Lindy's Landing say they will be monitoring water levels throughout the night. At this point, they don't know when the mandatory evacuations will be lifted.