American Red Cross is assisting local families impacted by recent Kings River flooding

MINKLER, Calif. (KFSN) -- A washed out road reminds residents in the Riverbend RV Park near Minkler of what the last week and a half has been like. Back on Fathers Day overflow from the nearby Kings River forced them to evacuate their flooded homes.

"It didn't get to 180, but it was pretty close-- nothing but water. Water on the road there, it was everywhere," said Carol Lopthien, Riverbend RV Park resident.

Lopthien's home was spared from any flood damage-- she returned to the park Thursday to seek assistance from the American Red Cross and other local agencies.

"It makes you feel very touched that someone would care enough to want to help-- it's hard times for all of us."

Last week's heat wave melted the snowpack faster than the Kings River could handle it forcing Pine Flat Dam to release 50-percent more water than the previous month. The release resulted in flooding for some areas of Fresno County. That's when authorities shut down the park and left more than 50 residents without a place to stay-- the American Red Cross arrived Thursday to hand out food.

"Everybody's coming back, everybody is happy to be back home and not at the shelter and we're going to try and do as much as we can to make that a little easier to do," said Esteban Orozco, American Red Cross.

But residents are feeling a little uneasy if and when they are forced to leave again this summer at a moment's notice.

"What we heard was there's a high probability that we're going to have to evacuate again before the summer is over," said Lopthein. "If it gets too bad we'll just take off and leave."