Residents dealing with damage left behind by major flooding in Mariposa County
MARIPOSA COUNTY (KFSN) -- Many roads in Mariposa County are shut down Friday morning due to heavy flooding. While some of the water has receded residents are left to deal with the damage.
In a lot of the flooded areas, the roads and the damage can finally be seen. Caltrans closed nearly 20 miles of road extending from Merced County to Mariposa County because of flooding.
The Mariposa County Sheriff's office activated their Emergency Operations Center prior to this storm because the area was expected to get hit with several inches of rain. Roads, including Highway 140 and Highway49, were closed.
RELATED: Search underway for woman who went missing during storm in Mariposa County
Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann said that after last year's wildfires the infrastructure was nowhere near prepared for this storm.
"We have a lot of damaged areas that FEMA has approved months and months ago but haven't given the money to fix them, and when you get heavy rain that is one to two inches an hour it will tear that stuff right out."
RELATED: Highway 140, El Portal Road, closed in multiple locations
Mariposa County wants to remind people to drive with caution as they are still assessing the damage. If you see damage or flooding you are asked to report it to public works.
Because of the heavy flooding in areas like Mariposa, the American Red Cross Central California has opened an evacuation center at Mariposa Elementary School. It's located on Jones Street near Sixth.
Volunteers have been on site throughout the night caring for those impacted by the flooding.
