Evacuation warnings issued for parts of Fresno County ahead of expected storms

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Evacuation warnings have been issued for parts of Fresno County ahead of expected winter storms.

Officials issued the warnings early in order to give residents plenty of time to prepare.

An estimated 17,000 people who live in the Fresno County foothills and mountains, as well as lower elevations prone to flooding, are asked to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

During a meeting Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a warning to residents about the incoming storm.

"This is not a garden variety storm. This is something, again, that will bring impacts to daily life, never experienced before," Kris Mattarochia said.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation warning for a large portion of the Fresno County foothills and mountain areas.

"This warning is not us telling you, you have to leave your house. This warning is us telling you, there's a big storm coming and it could potentially cause a lot of flooding, it could potentially cause roadway washouts, and we want you to be prepared for that," Lt. Brandon Pursell said.

One of the areas now under the evacuation warning is the Riverbend RV Park off of Highway 180 and Piedra Road.

It sits along the Kings River and has a creek that runs through the middle.

The managers of the facility showed us around.

The creek that runs through the property overflowed in January, forcing them to move some of the trailers further inland.

With the water already high, they're concerned it will happen again.

The sheriff's office confirmed it is one of the locations they'll be monitoring.

The department has split up equipment, search and rescue teams and the swift water rescue teams throughout the county.

"The reality is, we're deploying everything we have," Lt. Pursell said.

Sandbags are available at multiple locations throughout the county.

Although some mountain roads, like Highway 168, are expected to reopen in the coming days, the California Highway Patrol says now is not the best time to travel.

"If you can postpone those trips, please do. If you can make an alternative route that's going to take you away from the highly impacted areas like Shaver Lake, please do," California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Salas said.

The county is urging anyone in the evacuation warning area to sign up for Everbridge alerts.

It will send any critical alerts directly to your cell phone or email.

You can find that link and all of the other county resources available at FresnoCountyEmergency.org.

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