Madera County prepares for storm system

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- People in Madera County are are preparing for what's to come with the atmospheric river moving in, from removing debris that could clog storm drains, to trimming trees.

"We're clearing up all the brush on the next door neighbor's house, because it is becoming a hazard. So, she wanted it cleaned up," said tree trimmer Sergio Dorantes.

Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue says they are staying proactive, so they don't have to be reactive.

"We're anticipating heavy winds, some pretty significant rainfall, as well as some high elevation snow. Some of the prep work we've done is we've our emergency operation center at level three, which is duty officer status," said Sheriff Pogue.

Sheriff Pogue says they also have search and rescue crews on standby with snow equipment if needed, they are also getting sandbags ready to go.

Last year, a stretch of mammoth pool road in North Fork completely crumbled, making it difficult for residents to get basic supplies.

Sheriff Pogue reminding everyone to take precautions.

"We encourage residents to also prepare at their own level, whether that be making sure they have their medications, making sure that they have their grocery shopping, everything else kind of done. So that if it is significant, they don't have to go out and travel," said Sheriff Pogue.

PG&E crews also out Friday getting ready for what's to come.

Officials say it's best to have extra batteries and portable charges on hand in case you lose power.

"The winds don't look to be particularly severe, so we're not anticipating a high volume of outages, but we do have our crews on standby ready to respond and safely restore customers as safely and quickly as possible," said PG&E spokesperson, Jeff Smith.

PG&E also says to freeze water bottles and ice packs if you can.

That way, if you do lose power, your perishable items won't go bad.

You can sign up for emergency alerts on Madera County's website.

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