Porterville residents staying vigilant as Tule River continues to surge

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Families in Porterville have spent the last few days watching the rising waters of the Tule River.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the water flow from the nearby Schafer Dam has slowed down.

Water has been flowing over the spillway at Lake Success in Porterville for several days, causing the Tule River to surge in ways some people have never seen.

Homeowners near the river have prepared by placing sandbags at garages and entrance doors.

"My goodness, I have been living here for 20 years, and never have I ever seen it this high," said Maria Mancebo.

Mancebo lives near an evacuation zone on the west side of town.

"I am very proud of our city. Everybody is coming together. My husband was getting sandbags, and he was impressed with how kind everyone is and no one was fighting," Mancebo explained. "That is what everyone needs to be doing at this time."

As of Thursday evening, two evacuation orders remain on opposite sides of the river, impacting about 200 homes and businesses.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says only some people have left the area.

He urges the community to take the warning seriously even though the river is slowing down.

"My job is the protection of life. If you choose to ignore that then I want you to use very good judgment. If you see things are beginning to escalate, use good common sense and get out," Boudreaux said.

Mancebo says she's thankful for what county and city officials are doing to keep residents safe.

"I know there is a helicopter constantly roaming, yesterday there was a lot of personnel and trucks moving," Mancebo said.

The sheriff says the concern now is how much water will continue coming down from the high Sierra and next week's rainfall.

However , he wants to assure communities throughout Tulare County that it's all hands on deck.